Knight in Shining Armor
by Zoe Mae
Summary: Greg embarks on a relationship with a new lab tech who has replaced Wendy. But what happens when the new girl's past comes back to haunt her? Chapter 15 now up.
1. Heads Up

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters, much to my dismay.

FEEDBACK: Any and all feedback welcome. (Thank you to all those who have commented on my other pieces. So very much appreciated!!)

SUMMARY: Greg embarks on a relationship with a new lab tech who has replaced Wendy. But what happens when the new girl's past comes back to haunt her?

AUTHORS' NOTES: My first piece on something other than GSR. References to Bodies in Motion, Fannysmackin', Post Mortem, and Empty Eyes. Turned into a story I wasn't quite expecting, but it's my first attempt at a CSI fanfic with an actual sort of plot.

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**Chapter 1 – Heads Up**

Where most of the criminalists felt their age at times, they could look to Greg Sanders as their fountain of youth, always bubbly, always smiling. True, Greg was now in his thirties, but he still managed to maintain his childlike innocence and upbeat attitude.

But yet behind the silly grins and cheery words, Greg was missing something. He had lost that sparkle a little while ago, after he nearly died, after he took someone's life. But he persisted in trying to see the world as a good place. He still tried to have hope that most people would do the right thing. He tried to have faith that the bad guys would get justice. And he tried to believe that he would find someone he could care about, who would care about him as well. He had been reluctant to pursue anything after everything that had happened with Demetrius James. He wasn't sure what anyone would think after the act that was ruled excusable; he wasn't sure what he thought of himself anymore.

His crush on Sara Sidle had kept him going, offering him someone he could think about at night while he lay in bed, someone who had accepted what had happened because she had seen the results firsthand. She had been there, not to process the scene, but to be there for him after the attack, to stroke his hair, to make sure he was okay. He'd often wonder what it would be like to put his arms around her, hold her close, fall in love and have a life together.

But two very important things soon put a damper on his unrequited crush. First he found out that she was dating, very happily, his supervisor, and had been for a long time, right under everyone's noses. And not too soon after this revelation, she was gone, disappeared, never having said goodbye. Her dating Grissom he may have been able to handle, albeit grudgingly, but having her gone completely made the chances of never having her a reality. He had grown so accustomed to her beautiful smile and the way she took him under her wing that her absence shook him. The crush he could nurse in secret ended in a grinding halt without her presence to fuel it.

His demeanor towards the man he once idolized had changed dramatically, partly because he blamed Grissom for not being able to stop Sara from leaving. But he wondered to himself who he was angrier with; Grissom for actually having what Greg had wanted for years, or himself for pining over something he knew was clearly out of reach.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was because he had put all his hopes into the impossible so that he would never have to worry about finding the real thing. Sara's unattainable status had become easier for him to deal with than looking and being rejected for the truth he kept hidden.

He settled on Grissom for the time being, because it was easier to face.

When Sara had been transferred to the swing shift, there had been rumors circulating that they would soon replace her position. Now Sara was gone for good, and he wondered if they would replace her altogether. Wendy Simms, one of the current lab techs, had already stepped up, following in Greg's footsteps doing field work to try to secure a position as a CSI level one. She would soon do her final proficiency, and if she passed, there would be a spot open in the field, and a spot open in the lab.

So technically, Greg considered, that left two options for someone new, maybe someone his age, maybe someone of the female persuasion.

He could hope, right?

A familiar voice cut through his concentration, though admittedly it was more distraction at this point.

"Hey man, got some news. It's pretty good." Nick Stokes came into the lab with a spring in his step, pulling up a seat near Greg who was trying to look busy with his eyes fixed on a microscope. Greg welcomed the newest distraction, looking up at the Texan who today had a mischievous sparkle in his brown eyes.

"Oh yeah? Like, gossip good?" Greg pushed his chair away from the scope to look up at Nick expectantly.

"Oh yeah, man. Check it out. New hire on the graveyard shift. They've started looking for Wendy's replacement, so they are bringing in a temp to see if they fit the bill. And it's a female. Young female." Nick rattled off the stats in his familiar drawl, hanging on the "young" part to emphasize why this was some tasty info.

"No kidding," Greg considered. "Got any info on this chick?"

"Sure do." Nick rubbed his hands together as he prepared to indulge Greg, feeling privileged that he was able to sneak a peek at the file before anyone else.

Greg tried to contain his curiosity so as not to appear too eager. "You gonna tell me?"

Knowing Greg, Nick knew that the younger CSI was a lot more interested than he was displaying. He had known Greg Sanders far too long and knew when he was trying to play cool. "What's it worth to you?"

Greg knew this game well. He had often lured people in when presenting lab results and now finally understood how irksome this tactic could be. "Come on man, that ain't fair. Coming in here all, 'I've got news' and then holding out. It's unethical." He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to appear nonchalant.

Nick chuckled at being able to rattle Greg so easily. "Alright, alright. What I know so far is that her name is Tessa, she's thirty, she's from the East Coast, single, never married." He counted off all the facts he knew on his fingers as if talking about evidence. "Apparently she was recommended by a colleague of Grissom's on that sabbatical he took at Williams College."

Greg liked what he heard so far, a female around his age and single. Didn't hurt in the least that she was a science nerd, into all the lab stuff like he was. But that was only half the battle. "Got any idea what she looks like?"

For a second Nick looked a little sheepish at not having all the information to hold over his eager friend. "No man, haven't found that out yet."

In this line of work, this new girl could either be smoking hot or completely creepy, with any number of possibilities in between. The business of death and crime brings out all types. "Hm. Well, do you know when she starts?"

Nick perked up at having more information that he could pass on. "Apparently she's coming by tonight to fill out some paperwork and stuff, and she starts tomorrow. So you may wanna lift your head from the microscope at some point tonight, keep your eyes peeled." Feeling he relayed to Greg all the pertinent information, Nick stood to leave.

Greg's curiosity at a new hire turned to wariness of his also single friend. "So hey, why are you giving me the heads up?"

A wide smile spread across Nick's face as he put his hands on Greg's shoulders, mimicking a back rub reserved for boxers in a fight. He spoke in a low voice as he leaned in to Greg's ear. "I just figured I'd give you a fair shot, you know, give us a level playing field there, champ." He stood back up and slapped Greg's back, clearly proud of his victory speech.

Greg hung his head to hide his sardonic smirk, shaking his head in mock defeat. "You are a true friend, Nick."

"Anytime, bro. Anytime." And with that Nick spun on his heels, disappearing down the hall, leaving Greg with some new thoughts to ruminate while trying to focus on doing his job. His attention clearly shot at this point, Greg decided on a break, because no work was going to get done with his head in such a fog. At least in the break room he could hide behind a magazine and not risk getting caught zoning out. With a heavy sigh, Greg left the microscope and stray thoughts of Sara behind him.


	2. So Many Reasons

**Chapter 2 – So Many Reasons**

On his way from the lab towards the break room, Greg was stopped in his path by an unfamiliar presence at the front desk. He wished he could say he noticed the young woman's face first, but with her head bent, and her untamed hair covering her features, Greg was forced to take in her svelte figure instead. He slowed his pace as he took in the woman before him, silently praying that she had paperwork waiting for her.

Her hair was dark, with bright red streaks weaving through her thick waves, cascading down her back like an unruly river. She wore a black sweater, cinched in the middle to accentuate her tiny waist. Her shapely legs were wrapped in black fishnet stockings, stemming out from a plaid pleated skirt, which was not too short, yet not too long. Just right, Greg thought, as he tried to control the racing in his chest. He followed her legs down to black Doc Marten boots, and Greg swooned on the spot.

With no one at the front desk to help, she brought her hands up to her mouth, nervously chewing on her nails. She abruptly turned around, and Greg found it hard to breathe as her large brown eyes connected with his. Quickly her look of consternation faded, but for a moment she kept her fingers absent-mindedly at her mouth. He saw the way her fingers skimmed over her lush, glossy lips, so innocently seductive that Greg swallowed hard to keep from salivating. A smile broadened as she bounded her way over, and Greg couldn't help but look around to see if her attention was directed to another source. It wasn't.

"Hi, my name is Tessa Jensen. I'm looking for a Dr. Grissom?" Before Greg could answer the wiry brunette, she continued. "I'm here to fill out some paperwork. My first night is tomorrow, and I wanted to get a head start on things, but there's no one here to help me, maybe because I'm early. I tend to do that." She stopped momentarily, realizing she just accosted a complete stranger. She placed a hand on Greg's arm and continued. "Oh wow, I'm so sorry, do you even work here?"

In the time it took her to stammer through her introduction, explanation and apology, Greg was able to find his voice in time to answer. "Yeah. Yes. I'm Greg. Greg Sanders." He paused to extend his hand. Her hand was small and Greg, still in a starry-eyed trance, marveled at how perfectly it fit into his. He brought his gaze up from her hand and once again focused on her perfect pout. Realizing it may be rude to stare at the exquisite lips of a stranger, he refocused to her eyes. Huge, brown, gorgeous eyes, full of life and...completely absorbing all his thoughts. He shook his head and tried to focus. "It's…uh…it's nice to meet you, Tessa. Would you like me to show you to Grissom's office?"

With her hand still nestled in Greg's, Tessa clasped her other hand onto his and squeezed tightly, her eyes shining with sincere gratitude. "That would be great, Greg, thank you so much." She let her hand linger in his for a moment as they both stared at each other. Realizing that they were still holding hands, both abruptly let go, Greg nervously shoving his hands in his pockets and Tessa tucking her hair behind her ears. She offered him a shy smirk as if this kind of thing happened all the time, and Greg took that as a sign to lead the way.

They started to walk down the hall, and Greg's mind was racing with all kinds of questions he had for the new girl beside him. He shook his head again when he realized a marriage proposal was at the top of the list. There was something about this girl that drew him in instantly; her energy was addictive. And smoking hot didn't even begin to cover it. But Greg was determined to play it cool.

"So Jensen. Is that…Norwegian by any chance?"

Tessa turned to look at him, brows raised in wonder. "Yeah, it is, actually. I'm half-Norwegian, half-Italian. How'd you know?"

Greg stopped himself before he did a fist pump at his correct assumption, opting instead to keep up the nonchalant façade. "I'm actually half-Norwegian myself."

"Get out. Rock on." Tessa threw him the horns, flashing a tiny wrist cuffed in a chunky, black leather watch and bopped her head to a silent rock beat, seeming to enjoy a tune that only she could hear. _Maybe that was the case,_ Greg thought, _because I tend to do the same thing._

Greg was completely smitten.

They approached Grissom's office only to find it empty, and remembering Tessa's admission of being early, he realized that they could possibly have some quality time to kill. Already Greg was thinking how the playing field was far from even.

"Well, it looks like Grissom isn't around at the moment. You wanna stick with me for a little while? I could show you around, keep you company."

"Aw, thanks, you're too sweet." Once again she laid her hand on Greg's arm and he used every bit of willpower not to grab it. He was finding it near impossible to control the thoughts, far from sweet, that were swirling through his mind.

_I could push you up against this wall right here and ravage you with wild abandon._

_What has gotten into you, it's like you've never seen a female before. Relax._

Greg shook his head once again to bring him back when he realized that Tessa was speaking to him.

"Where were you going when I completely assaulted you?" Her expression was awkwardly apologetic, but an apology was the last thing Greg wanted. He had all he could do not to thank her for the so-called assault.

"Well, I was on my way to the break room for a bit, gotta tear myself away from that microscope sometimes, you know?" Nick's words of advisement echoed in his ears, and for the first time in a long time, his inability to focus while daydreaming finally paid off.

"Yeah, sure do. I get so involved when I'm doing stuff like that, I just lose track of time. I'm lucky if I remember to actually take a break." She looked thoughtful for a moment and then continued, as if running a race against silence and didn't want to come in last. "How about this. I'll join you, if you want, keep you company while on break and then maybe by the time you're done, Dr. Grissom will be back from wherever he is."

Greg nodded his approval at the idea and they set off towards the break room. "First things first, though. Most people just call him Grissom. Or Griss. Boss-man. The bug guy." It would seem as though Tessa's rambling abilities were contagious, but Greg had always been one to take an idea and run with it. He stopped and turned to look at her when he realized Tessa was smiling at him, a playful look in her doe eyes.

"What?" Greg asked with a hint of nervous laughter, feeling slightly self-conscious.

"Nothing," she said sweetly, her smile growing wider. "You're funny. That's all."

"Funny ha-ha or funny weird?"

"The first one," she said, holding up a small index finger. "I'd need to get to know you, you know, over coffee or something, before I judge the second." He looked over at her, eyebrows raised at her forwardness, and smiled when she looked down shyly and bit her lip to hide her smile. In that moment, Greg knew he had an in. Wanting to get to know him, over coffee? All signs were pointing to good, excellent even, he could feel it.

At that moment, Grissom rounded the corner, his concentration on a file in his hands. He felt the presence of two people, and upon looking up, spotted his new hire smiling shyly up at Greg Sanders, who mirrored the same shy smile back down to her. For a split second, Gil Grissom was taken aback and he stopped to watch them. He knew the look on Greg's face; he was sure he had the same look nearly 10 years ago when he first laid eyes on Sara Sidle. And now, in hindsight, he recognized the look on Tessa Jensen's face as well. It was the same look Sara had the first time she spoke to him after class. Starry eyes. Flushed cheeks. So this is what it must have looked like, he considered. He almost felt badly for having to break up the moment. Almost.

"You must be Tessa Jensen." Grissom's voice startled both Tessa and Greg, as they both looked at him with the wide, guilty eyes of children who had been caught passing notes in class. Grissom only raised an eyebrow at Greg as he offered his hand to Tessa. Greg exhaled when he realized that this was the only admonishment he was going to get from his boss. "I'm Gil Grissom. I'm the supervisor on graveyard."

"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Grissom, sir. I've heard a lot about you," Tessa replied, her animated persona at once quelled by the presence of authority.

"All good things I hope," Grissom said with a wink. Greg narrowed his eyes, but caught himself as he realized that Grissom was just being Grissom. Besides, there was Sara and…he was being completely paranoid. Grissom held up his hand to motion Tessa towards his office. "We have paperwork that awaits you. Shall we?"

"Yes sir." Tessa replied, a nervous smile on her delicate features. She obediently followed, glancing up at Grissom as he started his well-rehearsed, new-hire speech.

"Now, I'm going to need a pint of your blood."

Tessa's eyes widened. "Why?"

Grissom smiled. No matter how many times he made this request, it delighted him to see the reaction. "So many reasons."

She glanced back over her shoulder to Greg, her eyes still wide in surprise. Greg offered her an enthusiastic thumbs-up to calm her before she disappeared around the corner with Grissom.

It was only then he allowed himself the fist pump he had denied himself earlier. He had many reasons to feel excited about this new female hire. So many reasons.


	3. Boston to Vegas

**Chapter 3 – Boston to Vegas**

Greg was back looking over evidence, what was left of his shift seeming to drag at a snail's pace, with thoughts of Tessa at the back of his mind. He was determined to get through the rest of his shift without obsessing on every little detail of his interaction with the hyperactive brunette. But as he glanced up, he saw Grissom giving Tessa a tour of the lab. He saw him introduce her to Nick and Warrick, and watched as Tessa shyly shook each of their hands. He saw as Warrick and Nick exchanged glances as she followed Grissom out, and wasn't sure if she was the type they wanted to make a bet on, as was their new-hire custom. Judging by the handshake that followed, he guessed the custom lived on.

Bet all you want, Greg thought to himself. He would do everything in his power to make sure she stuck around.

A few minutes passed, and Greg watched as Grissom shook Tessa's hand once again, in what he assumed was a formal, "see you tomorrow, nice to have you on board" handshake, but then pointed her in a certain direction. And that is how Tessa found her way to Greg, lingering coyly in the doorway. She laced her fingers nervously, biting her bottom lip a moment before she spoke.

"So, I know that your shift is almost over. What do you say we grab that coffee, maybe get some breakfast?"

"Yeah, that sounds great." Greg said, a smile spreading across his face. "I'll be done in about ten minutes or so. You wanna meet me at the little diner down the street?"

"Sure. I'll meet you out in the parking lot, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan." Greg watched her as she spun on her heels and headed out. Once he had finished up and was gathering his things, he looked up to see Nick standing in the doorway. Before Nick had a chance to speak, Greg was firing on all cylinders.

"So, which side did you bet for? Staying, or running like hell in the other direction?"

"Man, I don't know what you could be referring to." Nick tried to feign offended, but the smile tugged at his features in spite of himself.

Greg raised his eyebrows and shook his head. "Come on, don't even pretend. And even if you wanted to, I saw you and Warrick shake on it."

With a nod of concession, Nick gave Greg a shrug before shoving his hands in his pockets. "You'll find out soon enough, then. In the meantime, did you get to meet her?"

"Actually, I am meeting her right now so we can do coffee and some breakfast." Greg was determined to remain cool on all fronts, including not gloating to his friend over his overwhelming victory.

"Well I'll be," Nick said, putting his hand over his heart in his best efforts to look taken aback at his young friend. "Scoring a date and it's not even her first official night on the job." He shook his head, clearly impressed with the younger man's good fortune. "I gotta hand it to you, bro. That takes some skill."

Greg couldn't contain the small smile that crept across his face. Telling Nick that it was actually her idea for breakfast and coffee seemed like overkill. Some things, he decided, were better left unsaid. "Much appreciated. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a major hottie to attend to." He patted Nick's shoulder as he rushed by him on the way out the door. A major hottie indeed, he thought to himself. Jumping in his car, he made a conscious effort not to race to the diner.

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The red in Tessa's hair glinted vividly against her dark locks as she leaned against her car in the parking lot. Greg had always been partial to eccentric hair, but had taken to taming his own tresses once he got out of the lab. He delighted in the fact that Tessa seemed to share his unconventional tendencies. On a purely superficial level, his attraction to her was instantaneous. On a deeper level, there was something about her that drew him in.

When she caught him in her sight she jumped from her leaning position, a nervous smile on her face.

"Hey," Greg said casually.

He could see her shoulders relax almost at once. "Hey," she said back to him.

"So, what do you say we get some pancakes?"

Tessa's smile was genuine this time. "I think you just read my mind."

Once they were seated, words played in Tessa's mind as she shifted her jaw, preparing to say something she obviously felt uncomfortable with. Greg noticed her struggling for a second, and decided to help her out.

"Okay, lay it on me."

Tessa smirked, but her eyes shone with gratitude. "I just…I'm sorry about my obnoxiousness back there in the lab, coming up and basically mowing you down looking for help. When I get nervous it's like a free for all up in my brain."

Her admission melted his heart a bit. It wasn't often he met a woman so forthcoming with her vulnerabilities, especially out in Vegas. "You don't have to apologize. I find your energy very…refreshing. Endearing even."

Tessa's eyes widened and she looked genuinely surprised at the compliment. "Wow. Well, if you find that endearing you are going to love working with me."

"Well, I'm going to need to work with you first before I judge that one," Greg teased, causing Tessa's pale cheeks to flush pink. "Besides, it seems I was the only one to get that kind of reaction from you."

"What do you mean?" She bit her lip to try to hide her knowing smile.

"Grissom, Nick, Warrick. You seemed sort of reserved around them."

"Well, authority figures make me feel like a kid, it's silly. I clam up. And more than one person, strangers, at a time does the same thing. I get kind of overwhelmed."

"What about me, then?"

Tessa only shrugged, trying to appear casual, as a playful spark danced in her eyes. "Cute guys make me nervous."

It was Greg's turn to react to such a compliment. Eyes wide, he seemed speechless for a moment. "Now see, you're the type of girl that makes guys like me nervous, totally not the other way around."

Tessa blushed again, crinkling her nose. "Thanks. That's sweet of you." She looked down, seeming both flattered and uncomfortable with his attention.

"No need to thank me, just being honest."

Tessa conceded, figuring there was no need to argue with Greg's obvious charm. "Then I appreciate your honesty."

Picking up their menus, Tessa looked at hers with the earnest intensity of one on a breakfast mission. Greg, having been in this diner more times then he could keep track of, looked at Tessa. She was disarmingly beautiful, and clearly the type of girl who had no idea just how beautiful she actually was. He marveled at the contrast of her long dark lashes against her porcelain skin, and the way she bit her lip while thinking. He looked at her tiny hands as she held the menu, taking in the way her nails were bitten down to the quick. Greg made the assumption that something more than just authority figures and strangers overwhelmed her. Feeling his investigative streak kicking in, he broke the silence.

"So, Tessa, where are you from?"

"Massachusetts. Grew up north of Boston, graduated Williams College, and then after I got my master's, I stayed local and worked in the city for a while."

"Beauty _and_ brains, huh?" Greg marveled. As Tessa blushed again, biting her lip, he wondered if she was used to getting compliments. Most women in her position gushed at such talk, but he could always tell they expected it deep down. At least that's how it was in California where he grew up, and didn't get much better out in Vegas. The waitress standing at their table, ready for their orders, provided a typical "saved by the bell" moment. They placed their orders, and Greg decided to switch gears a bit.

"So, wow, and you gave up the New England weather to move all the way out to the desert? That's gotta be quite a shift for you. I mean, I lived out in New York for a little while. New England winters are brutal."

Tessa nodded in agreement as he spoke, clearly grateful for the change. "They sure are. Whereabouts in New York?"

"I spent some time in Schenectady, and it was the first time I had ever seen snow. Growing up in California, you don't get to see many seasons."

Tessa nodded, with a wistful look in her eyes. "Well, I did love the snow and all, but it was time I made some changes."

"That's a pretty big change. Boston to Vegas? What brought you all the way across the country?"

Tessa shifted and looked out the window briefly. "Well, you're just asking all the tough questions, huh?" She tried to appear lighthearted, teasing Greg for his curiosity. She pursed her lips in a small smirk, averting her eyes by focusing on her mug of coffee.

Greg shrugged, but made note of how quickly she averted her gaze. "I'm an investigator. It's what I do."

"Alright. Fair enough." She looked towards the ceiling for a moment, and let out a thoughtful sigh. "Let's just say I had some…boy trouble, among other things." She brought her eyes back to Greg, and through her demure smile, he noticed the haunted look in her dark eyes.

"Somehow I get the feeling that it was more than just trouble."

Tessa shoulders tensed as she tried to remain nonchalant. "You're quite intuitive Mr. Sanders," she said with a playful smile.

Greg leaned in, trying his best to mimic Tessa's casualness. "You can tell me anything. I'm also a very good listener."

She watched his eyes as he spoke. It wasn't in her nature to trust anyone right away, but something about Greg Sanders made her want to open up. "Okay. In a nutshell? A professor that I've kept in contact with recommended me to Grissom, and after thirty years of utter ridiculousness, I decided that I wanted to move as far away from all the nonsense as possible, so what better place than 3,000 miles away and one of the best labs in the country?"

"Then I consider myself a lucky guy to be working at this particular lab." Putting his joking nature aside for a moment, he looked at her sincerely. "You know, you seem like a pretty great person regardless of what happened. So any time you want to tell me any stories from the homeland, I'd love to learn more about you."

Tessa's eyes sparkled with tears, moved by the compassion in his voice. "Thank you, Greg. That means a lot to me." She hesitated a moment as she looked contemplative again. "Look, Greg, I…" she trailed off a moment, and Greg leaned in, genuinely hanging on her every word. "I'm not usually so…forthcoming…about things, my personal life. I made a pact with myself that I'd start with a clean slate once I moved and try not to dwell on the past. But I feel like there's some kind of connection here, and I don't want to lie to you. If you really want to get to know me, I'd much rather be up front with you, even if it's a lot to take."

It had been a long time since Greg had felt so overwhelmingly taken with someone. The thing that had drawn him to Sara Sidle was how genuine and real she was, in a sea of people who seemed fake and pretentious. He wasn't sure sincere people even existed anymore. Las Vegas was certainly not the place to find the girl next door. Tessa Jensen had given him some hope.

"Well, they do say that honesty is the best policy." He realized he sounded eerily like Grissom, tossing quotes into casual conversation. "I mean it though, whatever you want to share, I'm quite happy to listen."

Before she got overpowered with her own emotion, Tessa smiled again. "I may take you up on that, but for now, it's pancake time."

As the waitress placed the stacks of pancakes in front of them, Greg winked as he smiled back at her, basking in the opportunity to win over a lady with his kindness. "I think you just read my mind."


	4. It's a Date

**Chapter 4 – It's a Date**

Every end of their shifts together ended the same way. Breakfast, coffee, or both. It didn't go unnoticed at the lab that the two had become quite inseparable.

Tessa also quickly made friends with Mandy Webster, the lab's quirky fingerprint technician. They'd exchange sagas of old boyfriends and days of college lore, and while Mandy spoke of her unrequited crush on certain Texan, Tessa gushed endlessly over Greg Sanders, as if she really needed to identify her CSI sweetheart by name; it was pretty obvious the two were quite smitten with each other.

"You know," Mandy said to her one day, "Greg and Nick are pretty tight. Once you guys end up dating, we should totally go on a double date. Play some slots, shoot some pool, get you all immersed in the Vegas culture."

Tessa blushed, smirking at Mandy. "That's a clever tactic. But how can you be sure we are going to end up dating?"

"Well, now, I know I'm no CSI, but it really doesn't take an investigator to figure this one out. You like him and he likes you. I get the guys I like to sing to me, you should…" Just then Mandy stopped, a smile tugging at her lips. "Well, speak of the devil." Mandy gave Tessa a mischievous grin before she spun on her heels as Greg entered the room. Tessa just smiled and bowed her head before turning around to meet Greg's curious brown eyes.

"You should what?" Greg asked, sneaking a peak around Tessa to look at Mandy.

"Totally let Mandy check out some killer fingerprints…no pun intended…over here whilst you two lovebirds discuss bacon or whatever it is you two kooky kids talk about these days," Mandy quipped as she pretended to be absorbed in her microscope.

Greg shook his head at Mandy's antics, but quickly turned his attention back to Tessa. "Did I interrupt some good gossip?" Greg leaned on the counter to look up into her playful eyes.

Tessa bit her lip coyly. "Possibly."

"Well, I have an idea for today." Greg's smile was almost akin to Mandy's. "What do you say we skip the diner and I take you back to my place for pancakes?"

Tessa's eyes widened in excitement. She clasped her hands together, the friction of her latex gloves emitting a soft squeak. "A boy who wants to make me pancakes? How could I possibly refuse that?"

"I know. It would be silly to even try." They looked at each other for a moment, while Tessa bit her lip again and smiled. Greg drummed his fingers on the table before adding, "So it's a date. I'll meet you in the locker room in a little bit?"

"You got it." Tessa watched as Greg left, but then abruptly turned around to catch Mandy smirking into her microscope.

Not looking up, Mandy could feel Tessa's eyes on her. "I don't want to say I told you so, but…well…I told you so."

Tessa sighed. "Oh come on, we do this all the time."

"Ah yes, young Padawan, but this time he said 'date.' I'm pretty sure he's never said _that _before, am I right?"

"Maybe."

"Am I?"

Tessa rolled her eyes as a she tried to contain the wide smile that was soon blossoming on her face. "Alright, fine, yes, you are right, and you told me so, okay?"

Mandy nodded assuredly, savoring her victory. "Okay then. Now, get going for your pancake date."

"Now _that_ is something I am not going to argue with." Tessa gathered her things and headed off to the locker room, cheeks flushed wearing the smile she couldn't contain.

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Tessa leaned over the counter as Greg whipped up the pancake batter. "So, tell me something creepy gross from one of the cases you've worked on." She swiped a slender finger along the rim of the bowl, doing her best to look sneaky as she slid the batter into her mouth.

Greg stood mouth agape for a moment as he watched the way her lips surrounded her finger. Trying to remain focused, he crinkled his nose at her suggested topic. "Are you sure you want to go there while I'm making breakfast?"

Tessa shrugged, sneaking a second scoop with a different finger. "Sure, come on. We've both worked in the lab. I think our stomachs can handle it." As she made an attempt to steal another taste, a bead of gooey batter gathered on her bottom lip. Greg's hand acted of its own accord as he reached across to wipe away the batter, his thumb gently sliding over her mouth. Reflexively she brought her hand up to wipe away the remnants as they locked eyes. Greg cleared his throat to continue talking, not wanting to ruin the homemade breakfast, and possibly commit arson, by abandoning the stove in favor of her velvety lips.

"Well, okay. This one time Sara and I were working this case with these dead bodies that were left in the trunk of a car, and out in the heat you know what that means."

Tessa nodded matter-of-factly as she swallowed hard from the sensation of Greg's thumb still tingling on her mouth. "Decomp soup."

"Exactly," he said as he focused all his attention on making perfect silver dollars. "Well, I ended up getting decomp in my mouth when I pulled the drain in the car. Sara had called me a cannibal. Told me Grissom would have been proud. I told her that Grissom would have tasted it on purpose."

Tessa looked at the batter and back up at Greg. "Maybe that wasn't the best question to ask."

Greg smiled as he continued to pour the batter onto the pan. "Just remember, it was your idea."

Tessa got quiet for a moment as she watched Greg, stuck momentarily in a hypnotic batter trance. "So…who's Sara?"

Greg froze for a moment as he watched the pancakes cook. He figured this conversation had possibility for disaster. But she had no idea who Sara was, so he shrugged and gave a vague description. "Sara Sidle, otherwise known as Grissom's girlfriend, was a CSI who one day disappeared into the wild, blue yonder."

Tessa looked at him thoughtfully. "Sara Sidle, the one I've heard rumors you used to have a major crush on?"

Greg turned around with his first batch of pancakes. Apparently he had assumed incorrectly. He looked uncomfortable for a moment, but the look on Tessa's face held no judgment. He took a deep breath and decided that honesty was, in fact, the best policy.

"Yes. That Sara Sidle."

Tessa saw Greg's awkwardness with the topic, and wanted to do her best to make him feel at ease. "Greg, it's okay. You had a life before we started hanging out. And it's not like we're dating or anything. You can like whoever you want."

Greg's expression shifted from awkwardness to longing, but he masked it with his typical, bubbly smile. "All true, I suppose. But hey, let's dig in to these pancakes before they get cold."

Tessa smirked as Greg changed the subject. "Alright, Mr. Sanders, but you're not off the hook yet."

"Fair enough," Greg said, before shoving a forkful of pancakes into his mouth and grinning.

-----------

After the breakfast feast, Greg gave Tessa the obligatory tour of his quaint apartment.

"So, a real live Vegas bachelor pad," Tessa quipped as she took in the rest of Greg's apartment. Flat screen TV, gaming systems and consoles, and Marilyn Manson posters mixed in with science textbooks, a chess set, and forensic magazines. It would have seemed completely unusual if you didn't know the guy who lived there. But it was Greg's eccentric attitude coupled with the geeky science side that enticed Tessa from the beginning.

She skimmed the walls, her eyes resting on family pictures in frames above his computer. "You've got some nice family photos here. That's cool."

"Yeah, my family's pretty tight. What about you?" Greg asked. Tessa hadn't mentioned anything about her family, and Greg wondered if she had any to speak of since coming out all the way to Vegas not knowing a single soul.

Tessa tugged on her sleeves, pulling them over her hands as she balled them up into tiny fists. "I don't really get along with my family. Things haven't been good for a long time. Now that I am out in Vegas…I probably won't talk to them for a long time."

Greg furrowed his brows apprehensively. "Do you have any other family you talk to?"

Tessa wandered from looking at the wall to Greg's couch, where she sat carefully, as if not wanting to disturb the décor. "Not really. I don't come from a big family, and the ones that are still alive I've never been close to. It's pretty much just me. I'm like little orphan Annie." She offered him a faint smile, but the look in her eyes betrayed her.

Greg came and sat down next to her. He knew that Tessa wouldn't want to be regarded as a little stray kitten, but his heart went out to her all the same. He couldn't imagine someone like her having no one to call a real family.

"I'm sorry," he said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "And the guys you were with?"

Her posture one of protection, an anxious look flooded her features. "You always go to what you're familiar with, right?" She smiled slightly, but quickly looked down at her hands. "I've had a lot of boyfriend trouble over the years. Tried to use them to escape having to be at home. I thought I had finally met the right guy, we lived together, started talking about marriage all that. But once I moved in, everything changed. Or maybe I just was now privy to what was going on all the time, and…God, it's so typical. The lies, the cheating, the fights. If he didn't stay out all night with god knows who, he was coming home drunk to pick fights with me."

Tessa's small hands were clenched into tight fists, her knuckles turning white as her hands shook. "One night he came home, and we started fighting. The next day I had to go to work and explain how I had tripped out of bed during the night, and had stumbled into the doorknob. He kept telling me it would never happen again, and every time I believed him. Just like all the others. I guess I wanted to be able to believe one of them could actually be nice. After a couple of months, I knew things were never going to change, and that's when I packed up and left."

"You know…not all guys are like that."

"I guess I've just had bad luck. Or good luck. I mean, I did find a few of them." Tessa shrugged weakly. "Not all of them were violent…but…they definitely weren't good for me."

Greg reached out and grabbed Tessa's hand, squeezing tightly. "Well, coming to Vegas was a good thing for you. It brought you to me. And I could never do that to anyone. Ever."

Tessa's eyes shone with hope, tears pooling in her brown eyes. "Promise?"

"I promise."

Greg looked at her and saw the tentativeness, the fear, and wished beyond wishes he could erase her uncertainty. He reached out to brush a stray crimson tendril away from her face, causing Tessa to bite her lip with a new look of uncertainty. They locked eyes for a moment until the pull was too strong.

Their first kiss was sweet, gentle, and echoed the promise that Greg would cherish her. When Tessa let out a small gasp, Greg pulled back worriedly. When he opened his eyes, he saw a shy smile on Tessa's face, as her lashes fluttered back open to look at him.

"Wow," she said breathlessly. "That was…" She didn't bother finishing her sentence as she pulled Greg back into another kiss, this one with more urgency than the first. "You are an amazing kisser," she said between intermittent kisses.

"You're not so bad yourself," Greg said, his voice slightly raspy with desire. Greg could feel the corners of Tessa's lips curl into a smile.

"What do you say we make out for a little while?" she asked playfully.

"You know, you're really good at this mind-reading thing, too." He broke the kiss for a second to look at her, deciding to take a risk. "How about you tell me what I'm thinking right now?"

Tessa studied his eyes for a moment, the playfulness dissolving as they looked at each other earnestly. She hesitated a moment, not wanting to read the look wrong. "Are you thinking that'd you like me to be your girlfriend?"

Greg smiled. "Very much so."

Tessa played up a relieved sigh. "Good," she said with another smile, "because I was thinking the same thing." The playful smirk returned to her face. "Now, come closer so that I may kiss you."


	5. Coincidences

**Chapter 5 - Coincidences **

Greg returned to work the next day with a spring in his step. He never doubted that he and Tessa had a connection, and he didn't doubt that she returned the feelings. But just making it official made it real, made it something that he could hold on to, something that made the bleakness of the past couple of years seem bearable. It felt good to have that optimistic outlook back, the effervescent persona that everyone knew him for. And he always liked the idea of being the knight in shining armor. Or in this case, a knight in a swanky LVPD vest.

For the next couple of weeks, Greg appeared to the others more relaxed and upbeat than he had in a long time. They could only assume who was responsible, judging by the touches that seemed to last a little too long as he handed off his evidence to the starry-eyed lab tech.

This particular shift, he was greeted with the news that Wendy had passed her proficiency test, and that Tessa would have a permanent position as Wendy's replacement in the lab. Wendy would finish out her week in the lab, and starting the following week, the transitions would be complete. To Greg, it felt as though all the stars were now aligning. Things were finally starting to go smoothly.

They were in the break room, Grissom handing out assignments.

"Nick and Greg, you have a 419 on the grounds near the Bellagio."

"Sweet, you and me, bro. Let me grab my stuff, meet you out at the Denali." Nick patted Greg on the shoulder on his way out of the room.

In the car, Nick climbed behind the steering wheel as Greg buckled his seatbelt. He looked over at the younger CSI, grateful for the opportunity to get some one-on-one time away from work and the lab for even just a moment.

Nick concentrated on the road but the smirk on his face alerted Greg that his colleague's mind was churning. "So, hey, Greggo, is there something you'd like to share?"

Greg felt his heart start to race, and felt like a teenager caught sneaking around. He rolled his eyes at himself when he realized it was silly to freak out over a simple question posed by his good friend, so he went back to playing it cool. "What are you talking about?"

Glancing over at Greg, Nick's smirk blossomed into a smile. "I don't know…any gossip? About a certain new lab tech?"

Greg folded his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. **"**What's it worth to you?"

"Aw come on man, don't hold out on me."

"Alright, alright. Let's just say to the victor go the spoils." He had been spending far too much time around Grissom. "She moved to Vegas single, but yes, I have since changed that."

With one hand on the steering wheel, Nick did a fist pump with the other. "Oh yeah! Looks like I won that bet."

Greg looked over at Nick suspiciously. "What bet?"

"Warrick and I made a different bet this time. We bet on whether or not you'd actually land this chick, assuming she stuck around, of course. So, in essence, I won two bets."

Remembering their conversation a while back, Greg's eyes widened at Nick campaigning his victory. "And you bet in my favor? How come?"

"Once I saw her, I knew she'd be perfect for you. I knew Warrick would bet against you, but I had faith, my friend."

"Wow, I'm flattered. Thanks, man." Greg looked out the window, the Bellagio hotel looming into view. The bets between Warrick and Nick had always amused him, but this time he felt something akin to brotherly love spread through him at Nick's understated encouragement. It just made the high he was feeling over being with Tessa that much more satisfying. Things were going smoothly indeed.

They pulled up to the hotel, parking out front to search for other signs of law enforcement. They scoped the grounds of the hotel, where they eventually spotted Brass standing beside the victim. Dave was hunched over the body, taking the liver temperature, checking for signs of trauma. As Greg and Nick walked up to inspect the scene, Greg was immediately taken aback by the appearance of the victim, slowing his pace as they got closer.

A small, svelte brunette with ligature marks around her neck sprawled haphazardly on the well-manicured lawn. Her long waves tied back in a ponytail, her eyes open, death giving her brown eyes a cloudy hue. Her pale skin and delicate features caused Greg to shudder. The only thing keeping him calm was the lack of crimson in her dark tresses.

Nick looked over at Greg, realizing immediately what he must have been thinking. "Hey man, it's okay. Just a creepy…really creepy…resemblance."

The words barely registered, but Greg nodded. He was transfixed with the uncanny vision before him.

"Are you going to be okay to work this case? We can call Grissom, see if…"

"No, no, it's fine," Greg interrupted, shaking his head to clear his thoughts to focus on the crime scene. "I'll be okay. Just…wow. She looks just like her."

Jim Brass walked over to the CSIs, holding the young woman's wallet. "The victim's name is Marie Valente. Witnesses say she got into some kind of scuffle inside the hotel with some guy. Seemed like some kind of domestic dispute. Guy came in, apparently intoxicated, grabbed her by the arm. Some words were exchanged, she walked out, and he followed. Groundskeeper found her and called it in."

Just then Brass's cell went off.

"Okay. Yeah. Bring him down the station." He turned back to Nick and Greg. "Looks like we may have found a suspect. Guy just pulled over on the strip for drunk driving. Matches the description we got from some of the witnesses. You guys finish up here, I'll meet you back at the station."

"Will do," Nick said, glancing back over at Greg, seeing the way this eerie coincidence rattled his younger colleague. He knew the feeling all too well, though in his case he actually saw the lifeless body of his friend, Kristy Hopkins. Kristy was someone Nick could have cared about, but she had been taken from him, the opportunity lost. Tessa was someone Greg cared about, the opportunity given to him, and she could have been the one taken from him. He didn't have to imagine what was going through his friend's mind; this was a cold reminder that anything could happen to anyone.

They processed the scene, Nick occasionally giving a worried glance to Greg, with Greg reassuring that he was fine. Only when the body was taken back to the morgue did Greg seem to relax a little, albeit still slightly distracted. Out of sight, out of mind. Nothing to physically remind him of his raven-haired princess, guarded by the glass fortress of the crime lab. Once they were ready, he felt he couldn't get back to the lab fast enough to take in the sight of her.

When the Denali pulled in to the parking lot, Nick barely had time to put the vehicle in park before Greg was unbuckling his seatbelt, clutching the evidence he collected as he sprinted out towards the entrance. Nick merely nodded, agreeing to catch up once he parked the car and gathered up his own evidence.

Greg burst through the lab doors, startling Tessa as she was waiting at a computer for results to print. Seeing not only that she was alright, but that he had frightened her, he tried to calm the racing in chest by taking a deep breath so that he didn't worry her further.

"Hey," he said as casually as he could, his voice coming out ragged as he fought to get his breathing back under control.

Tessa eyed him quizzically. "Did Nick actually drive you here, or did you run back from the crime scene?"

Greg offered her a smile hoping to mask the panic that was slowing ebbing upon seeing her. He fought every impulse to take her into his arms and kiss her senseless. He made a mental note to do so once their shift ended.

"I was just extra excited to see you today." It wasn't entirely a lie, though he felt a twinge of guilt at not being entirely up front with her. The answer seemed to suffice though, as he got a shy smile as a reply.

Nick finally met up with him, with Wendy close behind. He had found her on his way in, asking her to take whatever DNA samples would be necessary to save Tessa from any interaction with her doppelganger. He remembered the case of Debbie Marlin, who looked too much like Sara Sidle for them not to be related, but indeed it was just an uncanny coincidence. She had mentioned it once over coffee, how unsettling it was to look down and see death staring back at her like a reflection in a mirror. She had tried to brush it off, but Nick could see the haunted look in her eyes, and knew it had shaken her. They see enough death on a daily basis, and death should never look like your long-lost twin.

He headed to the interrogation room to meet up with Brass.

Wendy gathered the clothes from the victim, able to pull some epithelials off the shirt where the suspect had grabbed her arm, the match coming back an unknown male. Until they had a DNA sample to compare it to, this sample was useless.

Meanwhile, Brass was interrogating the man taken in for drunk driving, who fit the description of the man who grabbed an unknowing patron at the casino, clearly mistaking her for someone else in his intoxicated state. He explained to Brass that he had made a mistake, he went after the wrong girl, and once he realized his error, he jumped in his rental car and took off. The last time he saw this mystery girl, she was alive. Angry at being assaulted by a stranger, but alive.

Brass was never one for trusting anything a suspect had to say. And he made it a rule never to take any truth in slurred words reeking of vodka. "Well, I'm still going to hold you for driving under the influence, and if you could say ah to the gentleman here, we'll see how well your story holds up. In the meantime, you can take a nice, cozy nap here and sleep off your drunken stupor."

Nick collected the DNA sample and took it back to Wendy. In that moment, he had no idea how his good idea to recruit Wendy for the task was actually a perfect idea. As Wendy ran the DNA sample, she had no idea that the name she held in her hands held significance to their newest lab addition.


	6. The Truth Remains

**Chapter 6 – The Truth Remains **

"I think it's great that Wendy made the jump from lab tech to CSI." Tessa sat with her legs draped over Greg's lap, leaning back into the pillows. Greg relaxed into the pillows as well, absentmindedly running his hands over her denim-clad thighs. The scene from earlier lay forgotten in his mind as he nuzzled into her hair, drinking in the luscious scent of hibiscus flowers.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I did. I left the comfy security of my lab and microscope to make it out in the big world of Vegas crime."

Tessa perked up, her eyes alit with curiosity. "So what's the worst thing that you have encountered since becoming a full-fledged CSI?"

Greg's eyes registered a level of surprise before he was able to control it as they widened with remembered fear. Though the scene at the Bellagio unnerved him, it definitely wasn't the worst aspect he had endured. He had been able to keep most talk of his work traumas at bay, since most of the people he associated with already knew of both the perils and the experiences. Those from work never approached the subject because they had seen it, felt it, agonized along with him. Those outside never asked, because anyone not in the field thought it all was the worst thing someone could encounter.

He immediately looked down, biting his lip as his expression turned to one of consternation. Greg had never been one to get flustered so easily, but years out of the safety of the lab had clearly taken a toll. He also knew she had probably meant a crime scene, and now would have been a perfect time to bring up the Valente case, but what he endured a couple of years prior was by far the worst he had come up against.

He remembered their conversation from the diner. Trying to make a light-hearted joke, he quipped, "You really like asking the tough questions, huh?"

Tessa looked at him quizzically and knew right away that she had entered painful territory. She bent her head slightly to try to connect with Greg's eyes, her own filled with concern and compassion. Sensing her gesture, Greg denied her access for the moment, his head swirling in ways in which to explain.

_How do you tell someone that you are a murderer? Sure, it was ruled excusable, and it was in self-defense, but the truth remains: I took another man's life._

He brought his eyes up to hers and was taken by the look in them. She would have to find out eventually, he thought, if only because she deserves the truth. She had been so open with him since the first day he met her that keeping such a dark secret from her seemed unfair.

"Tessa, I…" Greg inhaled, the weight of his words like a brick in his stomach. "A couple of years ago, there was an accident. An accident that nearly cost me my life, my career, everything that was important to me."

"What kind of accident?" She tilted her head slightly, offering a gateway into uncharted territory with her genuine tone of concern.

"There were these kids, like a gang, going around to different neighborhoods just kicking the crap out of people. I was on my way to a case when I witnessed one in progress."

Tessa's eyes widened in remembrance. "Oh man, I think I heard about that case. There were like, four different people involved, and a cop I think. And a couple of people died."

"I was the cop. Well. I was the CSI. And Demetrius James was the kid who died. Vasco Ruiz was the other."

Her eyes remained wide, and her mouth fell agape for a moment, before her voice came out in a whisper. "You were one of the ones that got attacked?"

"Yeah," Greg admitted reluctantly. "After I hit Demetrius James. To save the other guy that was getting attacked. They broke into my car, pulled me out, beat me up and left me for dead, along with Stanley Tanner, the other guy, and Demetrius, one of their own."

"You hit one of the attackers?" Tessa tried to keep her tone from sounding accusatory, but her disbelief and anger over such a brutal incident gave a frosty tint to her words.

"It all happened so fast, I didn't know what to do. I knew one guy had already died, one girl was in the hospital, I couldn't just sit by and watch as they killed someone right in front of me. I drove my car down the alley honking my horn. They wouldn't stop. Finally when I got close enough, they scattered. But one kid stayed behind. He reached for a rock, and went to bash the guy's head in, but instead came running for me. And so…I hit him. To stop him. And…he didn't survive surgery."

He took another breath as Tessa continued to look at him. He felt as though he should keep explaining, even though the rest of the story wasn't any better. "It never went to trial, though. The city decided to pay the family 2.5 million dollars. They pretty much threw me under the bus. In the end I guess it was my fault."

Tessa remained quiet. Her brows were furrowed in bewilderment, and she looked down at her hands. She wondered what she could possibly say to him in the face of something so traumatic and life-altering.

Greg worried at her silence that she must be thinking the worst. Could she still be with him now that she knew?

"Please, Tessa, say something."

Looking back up at him, her eyes filled with tears, she took his face in her hands and kissed him passionately. Just as abruptly, she let him go and leaned back to look him, as if trying to see straight into his soul. They were shining with so much intensity that for a moment Greg forgot to breathe. Still holding his face, she found her voice, which had been caught in her throat the whole time he spoke.

"I can't even imagine how scared you must have been." She ran her hands through his brown locks.

"You don't think less of me?"

"Do you think less of me knowing I was someone's punching bag?"

"Of course not, no, but…you didn't kill anyone. And I meant…the fact that I…what I did…" Greg trailed off, unable to say the words.

"Doesn't matter, it was self-defense. And not only that, you saved someone's life. That makes you a hero in my eyes."

"I don't know if I would go that far…"

"I would. Because of you, no one else got hurt. And that man lived. I'd say that qualifies." With that, Tessa leaned back in, planting a soft kiss on his lips.

The kiss was gentle at first, as Greg stroked the side of her cheek. He brought both hands up, cupping her face, and then moving his hands until they were entangled in the waves of her hair. Tessa inhaled sharply as a stray tear escaped down her cheek, but was soon overcome with heated emotion. He broke the kiss only once to look at her, the look of lust and desire and passion burning in both their eyes. He seized her once again as warm lips mingled with breathless sighs.

The guilt from earlier began to overtake him, and he felt the need to confess about the scene from earlier that continued to haunt him. Maybe it could wait until later, he reasoned, after all, clearly, she was alive and well and with him right now. So he pushed all thinking aside and focused on the moment, leaving the gruesome scene and the clouded brown eyes in the dust of his consciousness.

Greg reached for the edge of her snug t-shirt, pulling it up over her head, mesmerized as her raven locks spilled back down to cloak her bare shoulders. Tessa tugged at the buttons on Greg's shirt, tossing it on the floor to rest with her own. Greg brushed his hands softly over the lacy fabric of her black bra before encircling his arms around the small of her back, bringing her closer to him. He tore the blankets from the bed to lay her down on his sheets, working his way down to unbutton her jeans, as she worked to remove his, adding to the pile of mounting, unwanted clothes.

Tessa's breath was warm against his ear as he brushed chocolate tresses away from her shoulder, peppering kisses along her neck and down along her collarbone. Dark brown and crimson surrounded her as he ran his hands over her smooth skin, sliding down the straps of her bra, kissing his way down her shoulders and arms until he kissed the exposed flesh that lay beneath the lacey confines. Peeling off the last layers, their skin meshed, entwined in a heated embrace.

As he caressed sensitive areas, she ran her fingers through his thick waves, running fingertips along his back and shoulders. He moved back up to capture her mouth, breathing erratic, as he entered her, her body warm and inviting.

"Oh god, you feel amazing," he said breathlessly. He looked into her eyes, huge, brown, gorgeous eyes, full of life and…still able to absorb his thoughts, not unlike the day he met her. He marveled at how good it felt to see the vivaciousness her eyes held. With each thrust of his body into hers, he found himself thinking that he himself had never felt more alive.

With shuddering gasps, they rode the wave of ecstasy that coursed through their bodies until collapsing on the sheets, entwined and sated. Greg rested his head over Tessa's heart, enchanted by the pounding rhythm within the confines of her chest. Never before had a heartbeat sounded so beautiful, a pulsing melody accompanied by the harmony of her deep breathing.

He realized in that moment, listening to her breathing beneath him, that he very well may have found forever. After what he saw earlier today, he was adamant that he would do everything he could to keep her safe.

Tessa nuzzled into Greg's hair, to hide the deep sigh that escaped her lips. She tried to push the image out of her mind of the man she saw walking from the interrogation room earlier today. Though she had only seen him from the back, she could have sworn he looked familiar. Her eyes were playing tricks on her. That had to be it…right?

TBC...


	7. Amiss

Chapter 7 - Amiss

**Chapter 7 - Amiss**

Paul Addison sat in the holding cell replaying what had happened that night. He thought for sure that small, perky brunette was Tessa. He had gone up to her, grabbed her by the arm and swung her around, but once she spoke he knew he had made a terrible mistake.

"Get OFF of me!" The young woman was irate, and rightfully so. She was just accosted by a complete stranger, who was still hanging on to her arm, his bloodshot eyes full of bleary confusion.

In his inebriated state, instead of being apologetic, he got angry. "Hey! It's just a mistake. It's just…I thought you were another person. Calm down already!"

"Then LET GO!" She wrenched herself from his grasp and stormed out.

He looked around to see people whispering over cocktails and gambling chips. He needed to get out. He needed to go back to his hotel room. He needed to lie down.

He didn't remember getting into his car. And he didn't remember being pulled over. The next couple of hours were a blur of words and blue and red lights and some cop in his face and a q-tip in his mouth. As he sat in his cell, he wondered what had happened since holding on to the arm of an aggravated brunette and being held in a police station. He just wanted to have a few drinks in the casino. He just never knew when a few turned into too many.

The DNA pulled from the victim's sleeve matched the DNA taken from Paul Addison's mouth, but this only proved that he had interacted with her. Without evidence linking him to the crime, they had nothing to hold him there.

Brass would have to release him, but not without a warning to stay close. He didn't know that Paul Addison had every intention of sticking around; he still hadn't found what he was looking for.

--

Tessa woke up the next morning nestled in Greg's arms. She opened her eyes lazily to look at him, drinking in the sight of his mussed brown hair, the soft curve of his shoulder peeking out from underneath the layers of blankets, his lashes as they fluttered with restful sleep. She felt lucky even as she fought with the unsettled feelings that gnawed her. Something didn't feel right, and she wasn't sure what. Furrowing her brows as she continued to watch him, Greg opened his eyes, a smile blossoming on his face.

"Morning, sunshine." He leaned in to kiss her forehead. The sun was beginning to descend into early dusk, the clouds outside rolling by in pink and orange hues. The golden rays streaming through the window danced through the scarlet rivulets that shrouded Tessa's back. She offered him a quick smile before leaning in to steal a kiss, draping her leg over him to snuggle in close before having to get up and start the day, an upside-down world for those whose shifts extended into the midnight hours.

Her smile turned to consternation as she propped herself up on her hand. "I don't like the days I have to go to work without you." She gave him a mock pout that he seized quickly with a kiss.

"Me either. But this means that when you come home, breakfast will already be waiting for you."

The smile once again graced her features as she rested her head on Greg's chest. She mustered up the energy to propel herself from the comfy sheets and Greg's warm embrace. Throwing on one of Greg's t-shirts, she stole one more kiss before heading off to shower, leaving him to watch her as her tiny feet padded against the carpet, her small form enveloped by the extra fabric of his shirt. So small, yet so resilient, he thought to himself. How anyone could hurt someone like her was beyond him, but it made being with her all the more wonderful. Every time he looked into her eyes and saw the mixture of surprise and adoration that shone in them, it made him fall a little harder.

He made a decision as he listened to the sounds of water splashing in the shower that he would stop by today to bring her something to eat, just to see her, to show her that there were nice guys out there.

She padded back into the room just as softly, her long locks spun up in a towel, another towel wrapped around her tiny frame. The skin not covered was dewy with the remnants of her shower, and Greg sighed at the idea of having to let her leave. He clutched his pillow to his chest to keep him from jumping up and grabbing her towel to entice her back in to be with him, finding himself oddly content with notion of watching the mundane task of someone getting ready for work.

"Come on, let's have some food before I head in to work."

After eating, Greg kissed Tessa goodbye, then planted a small kiss on her forehead as he told her to have a good day. As she looked back up at him with huge brown eyes, he smiled as he saw all the adoration they held; he was entirely convinced her eyes were so large in order to hold all the emotion that she possessed in her heart. With a quick last kiss, she was gone, and standing alone in his apartment, Greg had time to process everything that happened over the past day.

His thoughts turned back to the brunette at the Bellagio. He had wanted to tell Tessa of what he had seen, but was afraid that saying the words would somehow make it real, make it some kind of danger for her. He also knew that there was no need to frighten her, given some of the violence in her past. Telling her to make himself feel better seemed selfish, and she deserved better than that.

But his curious nature wouldn't let the issue drop. It was too much of an eerie coincidence. He began to feel slightly unsettled at the idea that someone with an abusive past moves to Vegas only to have someone looking just like her turn up murdered? The panic began to spread through his chest as the worry became an obsession. The thought was now pulsing through his body, and he was overwhelmed with the urge to make sure she was okay. Waiting for his original plan of stopping by with food seemed too far away. Grabbing his keys, he headed out, not really sure what he would do or say upon getting there. He was well aware that this may make him seem overly neurotic and paranoid, or worse, completely possessive, neither of which he felt towards her. But something was nagging him, and he wouldn't feel better until he saw her. It was the same feeling of urgency after seeing the lifeless brunette. It was a feeling he hadn't been able to shake.

--

Tessa rummaged through her bag looking for her badge to go into work, cursing herself yet again for being such a scatterbrain. Times like this she wished everything she needed could be attached to her always, since losing things had become one of her greatest skills. As the laminated plastic came into view, a relieved smile spread across her face, not noticing as she almost collided with someone coming out of the building. She was about to apologize but as she looked up, her features fell, and panic spread through her body like wildfire.

"Paul," her voice was barely a whisper as it jammed in her throat like a shard of glass. Her head spun as everything inside her liquefied with terror. She had all she could do to maintain her stance and not collapse to the ground.

"Well, now here's a sight for sore eyes," Paul cooed as he went to put his hand on Tessa's trembling shoulder. The drunkenness faded, he knew he hadn't made a mistake this time.

As she went to jerk herself away from his grip, he latched on harder, large fingers digging in to her delicate form. Tessa cringed, but refused to let him see how much his touch affected her, instead trying to look stoic in the face of the ache now spreading through her collarbone.

"Is everything alright here?"

Paul let go as Tessa spun around to see the dark frame of Warrick Brown come into view. Tears were welling in her eyes, a mixture of pain and gratitude sending out a silent S.O.S to her fellow coworker. Trained to notice body language, Warrick knew everything about this situation was amiss.

Paul quickly turned nonchalant, but his shoulders tensed, giving away that his intentions were far from pure. "I was just…" he began, before Warrick cut him off.

"Leaving? Yeah, that's a good idea." He got up close enough to stare down the unwelcome visitor, his pale eyes slicing through him, causing the other man's determined brow to arch slightly in apprehension.

"Yeah. Yes." Paul stammered, shooting Tessa a fiery look before treading off into the shadows.

Hidden behind Warrick's massive frame, the tears slipped down Tessa's cheeks, her eyes fluttering shut in a combination of ebbing panic and relief. Warrick gingerly placed his hand on Tessa's shoulder, causing her to crumble from the onslaught of so many emotions. He wrapped his arm around her, coaxing her inside as he glanced over his shoulder to make sure the offending party had left the premise.

When Tessa regained control, she looked up at Warrick, heaving a discomfited sigh at breaking down in front someone she still didn't know all that well. She bit her lip and crossed her arms as if trying to keep warm before managing to find her voice.

"Thank you, Warrick." She brought her gaze up to his, still feeling slightly uncomfortable but wanting to convey her appreciation. The look in his eyes made her relax a little, but releasing the tenseness of her shoulders caused her to wince.

"You wanna tell me what happened?" His voice was low and soothing, but Tessa wasn't ready to confide in anyone what had just transpired. As she had done many times before, she conjured up just enough explanation to placate the worried glances.

"I was just…I think he thought he knew me…I got startled." She brushed off her intense reaction, denied the man from her past, and donned an apologetic smirk as if it was just some silly coincidence.

Warrick looked at her skeptically, but decided not to press the issue. "You gonna be okay, kiddo?"

"Fine. I'll be fine. Thanks again." And with that she twirled around and headed towards the lab, leaving Warrick to mull over his doubts. He decided he'd keep an eye on her, as the angst in her eyes belied her reassuring words. He was an investigator after all, and this man had just come out of their building. No doubt he'd be able to find out who he was, and what impact he had on the young lab tech.


	8. Determination

Chapter 8 – Determination

**Chapter 8 – Determination**

"Can you give me a run down of everyone who was brought in tonight for questioning?" Warrick leaned forward in a chair in Jim Brass's office, hands clenched in determination.

Jim arched a curious eyebrow. "What's this got to do with, Rick?"

"Some young punk coming out of the building this evening seemed to take a liking to that new lab tech, Tessa Jensen? And by liking, I mean I saw him grab her by the shoulder. She reacted kind of strongly, told me it was pretty much nothing. I'm not so sure about all this. Something's not adding up."

Remembering the crime scene from earlier, Jim inhaled slowly. "Well, I'm pretty sure I know just who you are talking about, and from the looks of it…this seems like it could be an ugly situation, and that we should let her in on it a.s.a.p."

Warrick's eyes squinted in confusion now. "From the looks of what?"

Jim folded his hands on the desk as the stunned look on Greg Sanders face came back to him. "There was this young girl, Marie Valente, who was murdered on the grounds of the Bellagio. I didn't really think about it that much then, but she looked just like this girl, Tessa, and from the reaction from Sanders at the scene, this is more than just some eerie coincidence."

"So who is this guy?"

"Paul Addison."

--

Tessa made her way to the lab in a daze, running through every possible explanation as to why he was here, not only in Vegas, but at her place of business. Her mind was reeling with unanswered questions. Did he know where she lived? How did he know she was out in Vegas? Should she tell anyone about the restraining order? With each question her worried mind posed, she fell further into a state of uneasy panic.

_God, I just wish Greg were here._

_Greg._

_How the hell am I going to explain this to him?_

She rounded the corner, and for the second time that evening, almost collided with another person. This time Wendy halted as she saw the faraway look on Tessa's face.

"Hey, Tess, you alright?" Wendy craned her neck to try to make eye contact with her shorter colleague.

Tessa brought her eyes up, a conspiring look masking the nervousness she was feeling. "Actually, could you help me with something?"

"I can try," Wendy said with an earnest shrug.

"I need you to look someone up, if anyone has run any information on them since you've been here tonight. His name is Paul Addison."

Wendy's eyes widened briefly in recollection. "I ran the information on him myself, actually. He was brought in tonight on a murder charge. They let him go just a little while ago. They didn't have anything to hold him on except driving under the influence."

All color drained from Tessa's face. "A murder charge?" She wasn't sure where her voice came from, but it sounded foreign and far away.

Wendy nodded. "I compared the epithelials on the victim's clothes to the suspect's DNA. It matched, but it only proved he interacted with her. He was pulled over drunk driving on the strip somewhere, and matched the description. They held him here as long as they could." Watching Tessa's expression grow more anxious by the second, Wendy paused. "Why do you want to know?"

Dodging the question briefly, an idea was forming in Tessa's mind. Maybe she could show someone, rather than say the words out loud. "Can…can you show me the information that you pulled up about him?"

Wendy cocked her head in slight confusion, but figured something serious was happening. "Sure, yeah, let's go."

There on the computer screen, Tessa locked eyes with the mug shot of her past. Addison, Paul. The white letters illuminating his name were almost blinding. Wendy read the other information displayed on the screen. Massachusetts. Prior domestic abuse. Restraining order. She looked over at Tessa, whose eyes were wide with fear, and immediately knew the connection. Wendy had a way of cutting to the heart of a matter, and this time she tried to do it as gently as possible.

"Is this…the reason you came to Vegas?"

Tessa could only nod, tears spilling over with the slightest shake of her head. Offering what information as she could, she continued to stare at the screen as she spoke, her voice monotone with a painful denial.

"The last time he hit me, I suffered a concussion. I was threatening to leave him, and he grabbed me by the throat and threw me into the wall. I remember hitting my head, and I guess I was knocked out. When I came to he was gone, so I called the police, and he was arrested. I knew then I had to get away, things were clearly out of my control. I had talked with a former professor about a month before who said there were looking for a temp out here. He knew some of what was going on, so when I called him, he set up arrangements immediately. I filed a restraining order, packed up my things, and hopped a plane to Vegas. Worst case, I wouldn't get the job, but I'd be miles away and could just start over."

As she finished her story, something caught her attention in the doorway.

Greg stood in the doorway, his mouth agape. Upon hearing Tessa's voice, he had stopped to listen. In doing so, he felt his heart wrench at the words that fell from her beautiful lips, the pain that overtook the sweetness in her voice.

Her eyes now locked with his, and for the second time she froze. But Greg's apprehension over her safety propelled himself towards her, relief that she was okay was being mired in overwhelming concern at what he had just heard. He wrapped his arms around her, one hand cradling her head as if the injury she just spoke of was fresh.

Wendy stood off to the side, watching the two with her arms folded, to console herself from the information she just received. Wendy was known to be rather tenacious, but she was ruled by her sympathetic side. If Tessa had continued talking, she was sure she would have cried along with her. Wendy decided to leave the two to talk. She needed to find Nick, since he was the one who handed off the evidence. Maybe he could tell her something more about this Addison guy.

Neither noticed Wendy's exit, as Greg pulled back to look down into Tessa's tear-filled eyes.

"Tess…is all that…my God, I had no idea it was that…are you okay?" He stammered over his speech, not wanting to look like he doubted her, but clearly shaken by what he heard, hoping he had been mistaken…

Tessa nodded, swallowing hard, but couldn't find the words to say what had happened tonight. Instead, she took his hand and led him to the computer screen. He looked at the picture, looked at the information, reading the same information Wendy had just seen. Prior domestic abuse. Restraining order.

"This is my ex. The reason I'm in Vegas." Looking back up at him, her words came out timidly. "Greg…he's a suspect…in a murder investigation."

The longer he looked at the picture, he found himself feeling…rage. It wasn't often Greg felt this heated, but putting a face to the one who hurt the woman he loved…

_I…love her. I've fallen in love with her, with everything she is. I've got to get this guy._

Greg's emotions led him out the door before he could explain himself, leaving a confused Tessa in his wake. His mind swirled with images of the crime scene outside the hotel. He stormed down to Grissom's office, bracing himself for what was about to come forth in his angered state.

Grissom looked up from a stack of paperwork to see his youngest colleague in a state he'd never seen him. Even on the toughest case, he had never seen the determination he now saw in Greg.

"Grissom, we have a problem."

"Isn't this your day off, Greg?" Grissom had always slightly envied the youthful oblivion Greg seemed to operate under. Sometimes he wondered if there wasn't anything that Greg didn't let roll off his back. He watched him now with a cautious eye, his eyebrow cocked as he tried to read what he was seeing.

"Yes, but that's beside the point. I need your help. I don't know what to do." Greg was visibly shaking now, clenching his hands so hard his knuckles were white. The only time Grissom remembered himself being so shaken was when Sara was lost out in the desert. Then it hit him.

_Tessa._

"Alright, sit down, what do you need?"

Greg relayed the story of Marie Valente, the tiny brunette murdered on the grounds of the Bellegio. He told him of the uncanny resemblance to Tessa. He even told Grissom how he had an eerie sense of panic that night that caused him to check in on her. And he mentioned some of Tessa's past and why it related to his feeling of dread.

"I'm not usually like that," Greg confided, "but something didn't feel right. After seeing that girl, and knowing about what Tessa had been through, I couldn't shake the feeling. And then tonight…"

"What happened tonight, Greg?"

"Tessa's ex-boyfriend, who she had a restraining order against for domestic abuse, turns up as a murder suspect." At this point Greg had no idea that she had actually seen him, that underneath her shirt, he had left his handprint in purple hues on her shoulder.

As if on cue, Grissom's phone rang. Brass was on the other end, relaying a similar version of what Greg had just admitted.

"Okay…Yeah…I've got him here right now, actually…She's down in the lab…Alright Jim, thanks." Grissom hung up the phone at looked at Greg. "Greg, I want you to take Tessa home."

"But what about that guy? He's gotta be out there somewhere. What if he's waiting for her, follows her?"

"Brass is going to send someone to pick him now, and bring him in again."

Greg looked confused. "For what? He was already in here. You can't bring him back for nothing."

"Yeah, but he violated his restraining order, so that's enough to bring him back in." Grissom saw the blank expression on Greg's face, and new instantly that this was news to him.

"Violated the…but…" And then he understood.

For the second time, Greg was on his feet, leaving mid-conversation.


	9. Our Problem

Chapter 9 – Our Problem

**Chapter 9 – Our Problem**

Tessa sat nervously in the passenger seat of Greg's car. He hadn't said much to her, other than he was asked to take her home because of what had happened. She assumed he was mad at her for something, but was too afraid to ask.

In reality, Greg's mind was racing, his adrenaline running full force. He told Grissom to page him as soon as Addison was picked up, to quell his anxiety about him being out there somewhere, lurking in the shadows of Vegas nightlife. He was so caught up in the whirlwind of events he hadn't realized his concern came across to her as anger.

Anger to her meant one thing. Her voice came out small and uncertain. "I'm sorry, Greg."

"Sorry? What the hell do you have to be sorry about?" He glanced over to her, the worry in his eyes softening the blow of the anger in his voice.

She shrugged weakly. "I just assumed…"

Greg slammed one of his hands on the steering wheel, causing Tessa to jump. "No. No way. You have NOTHING to be sorry about. Do you get that? Nothing."

Bracing herself, she asked a question she was entirely sure she didn't want the answer to. "Then why are you so angry?"

Greg swallowed hard. He had to tell her, she had to know what he saw the other night at the hotel. Keeping his eyes straight ahead, he clenched the wheel to keep his hands steady.

"Because there is something I haven't told you."

"Okay…" she trailed off, uncertainly.

"The case I was working the other night, the girl on the grounds of the hotel, she looked just like you, Tessa, and then your ex is a suspect in that murder investigation. Do you know what that means?"

Tessa stared at him blankly, a mixture of disbelief and fear flooding her senses. "What do you mean she looked like me?"

"Long dark hair, about your height, brown eyes. It was like I looking at you." Greg paused, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. "I couldn't get back to the lab fast enough to see you."

The whole situation was making Tessa's mind reel. "I don't understand why…" she started, but Greg cut her off, his panic at the whole evening spilling over and drenching his ability to remain calm.

"That could have been you! If he's more than just a suspect, if he did this…that means…that means he was out for you. What if I can't protect you? What if I can't keep you safe? What if…"

Tessa placed her hand on Greg's arm, feeling him trembling beneath her grip. "Greg, calm down, it's okay."

"No it's not okay!"

"Well, no, but, please just, it won't do you any good to be this upset. You don't need to be this upset." She could feel the anxiety start to flow inside her, his heated emotion over the situation becoming contagious. For her, it was easier to try to calm him down than process the reality of the situation.

"Yes, I think I do."

"Why? He's my ex, it's my problem, not yours." She stared down at her hands in the event that he agreed with her. His next move startled her.

Greg jerked the wheel of the car, abruptly pulling over to the side of the road. He shifted to look at her, as she looked at him with wide, glossy eyes.

"It IS my problem now. It's OUR problem." His brown eyes were dark with determination.

"Why?" she said softly.

"Because I love you."

"What?" Her voice came out on a breath so soft she wasn't entirely sure she had even spoken.

"For the first time in my life I feel I have finally found something amazing and I'll be damned if I let anyone or anything hurt you. It kills me that someone HAS hurt you and he was here tonight and there was nothing I could do for you. I _love _you." He grabbed her shoulders, too overcome with emotion to see her body flinch slightly at the touch. She was too awestruck to even care.

She found herself momentarily hypnotized by the words echoing in her ears. Seeing the anticipation on his face, she managed to find her voice. "I love you too, Greg." Tears pooled in her brown depths, mirroring the brown eyes she was drowning in.

He claimed her quivering lips in a searing kiss, making it feel as though he hadn't tasted her for days. Before she lost herself completely in her dizzying emotions, she pulled back to look at him.

"Take me home," she said, her voice a breathless whisper.

Greg looked at her a moment, then merely nodded, putting the car back in drive and heading back to his apartment. There was an aching tension between them, but it was a mutual desire to entwine body and soul that filled the air surrounding them. With a tiny hand, Tessa reached out to softly place it on his thigh, squeezing gently to relay her loving sentiment. Greg sighed, biting his bottom lip, but his eyes remained in concentration on the road. He wanted to get her back safely to his bedroom, away from the craziness of the evening and into his arms where he knew he could keep her safe. At least for a little while.

--

Dave was examining the body in the morgue, collecting stray hairs from the ligature marks on the victim's neck. He had called for Nick to come down to explain his theory of her death.

"Honestly, given the bruising, and the stray hair, I would say the victim was strangled with her own hair."

Nick stared at Dave for a second with his brows furrowed. "You're kidding me, right? Her own hair used as a weapon?"

"Seems to me like that would be pretty smart," Dave shrugged. "Leave nothing behind. No weapon to find."

Nick gave this some thought. Killers were smart, but not always. "Not so fast though. Unless the suspect used gloves, maybe there's evidence in her hair, if you're right." He looked down at the body. "If you are going to strangle anyone, you have to have a pretty firm grip, so some of the suspect's DNA could be on her hair."

Dave looked down at the brunette on the table. "She's got an awful lot of hair though."

"Well then someone has got their work cut out for them tonight, Super Dave. I'll start swabbing and send it down to the lab." With that, Nick put on his latex gloves, grabbed some Q-tips and started going to work.

Meanwhile Dave documented his findings and the cause of death. Asphyxiation due to strangulation done so with the victim's hair. He looked thoughtful for a moment before glancing up at Nick. "You know, it's a shame. Such beautiful long hair, I bet she never in a million years thought something like this would happen. I would never think something like this would happen."

Nick nodded in agreement. "You're right Super Dave. I hope this doesn't become a trend because long hair is fine my friend." He studied the brunette again, becoming nostalgic for the second time in the past couple of days. "Fine indeed."

--

For the second time, Paul Addison arrived back in the station in handcuffs. Grissom kept his word, paging Greg to let him know that he could breathe a little easier.

Paul was getting tired of spending his nights in jail. This was all Tessa's fault.

_That bitch, _he thought to himself. _Once I get out of here, it's over. _

He rubbed his temples, his head pounding with the thought of his injustices. Everyone believed her so-called domestic dispute charges.

_She's got everyone out here fooled, just like back home. _

He let his mind wander, wondering if she had been able to snag a guy out here yet. He had seen the way that other cop defended her, but didn't really see him as her type. Though he wasn't entirely sure what her deal was anymore, given the way she looked now, that red in her hair, short skirts.

_I had every right to keep you on such a short leash. Look at you now._

_You _will _pay for this. I promise you that._


	10. Lithium & Bruises

Chapter 10 – Lithium & Bruises

Agreeing to finish processing the victim's hair, Dave continued looking at her neck, realizing that he may have jumped to conclusions in the actions that led to her death. Nick had headed to the lab to process her belongings and see what else he could uncover about this young victim. Dave, looking down in concentration, was deciding that he should open her up to check her larynx and surrounding tissue to confirm his initial diagnosis of asphyxia as cause of death, as he sent the swabs to trace to see who had come in contact with her long locks.

On the evidence table lay the belongings of Marie Valente, and as Nick was pulling on his gloves, he decided to tackle the young lady's purse first. A woman's purse always held a wealth of information about the person carrying it. He emptied the entire bag on the table when something pale orange caught his eye. An empty prescription bottle, he noted. Nick's first thought was why someone would carry around an empty bottle, but everyone has their habits, or maybe she had just taken the last dosage before she died. Reading the bottle, he started to jot down the information. Name, date of birth, address. Lithium. 90 count. 400mgs each. As he came across the date, Nick's eyes widened as he realized that she had filled the prescription two days prior. Maybe this wasn't a murder after all. But what about the ligature marks? Nick furrowed his brows in confusion as the pieces to what they thought was an easy puzzle were not fitting together as nicely as they should.

He headed back down to the morgue, and as he pushed open the door, he found Dave standing over the body with the same look of confusion, the victim's throat neatly lying open.

"Something's not adding up," Dave mused in a voice like an after thought, not looking up as Nick came to stand beside him.

"No," Nick agreed, slightly uneasy with the victim's insides on display, but took Dave's lead at the casualness with which he was observing the bloody mess, "and I found an empty bottle of Lithium in her bag. What have you found in there?"

"Well, so far I've noted that even though there are marks around her neck, it wasn't enough pressure to cause the asphyxiation I noted. That was my first impression. So I did the autopsy on her larynx, and it's barely been touched, there is no occlusion of the carotid artery, and there is no petechial hemorrhaging," with that, Dave lifted one of the victim's eyelids to show that there were no signs she had been strangled to death.

Nick knew he had to get a tox report to see what was in her system, but the question still remained. Who tried to strangle her and didn't succeed?

Jim Brass had sent for videos from the casino to try to piece together the information he was getting from different eye witnesses and Mr. Addison, who provided little information other than a guy with a temper and a predilection for binge drinking. He watched closely in one of the videos as Marie Valente pulled a bottle out from her bag. Nervously she looked around until a man's arm swung her around, her bottle of pills falling to the ground along with her bag. She yelled at him, he yelled back, and as she wrenched free of his grip, she knelt down, collected her things and stormed out. Clenching his fists, the man spun around and stumbled after her, his eyes narrowing with inebriation and rage.

_So far, this all adds up,___Jim thought. After that there is no more footage of either of them, and nothing to explain what happened after the casino altercation.

Just then there was a knock on his door, and Nick stood expectantly in the doorway.

"Come on in, Nick." Brass waved his hand to motion the young man into his office.

"We have some new evidence that leads me to think this wasn't a murder." Nick handed Brass the paperwork from the tox screen.

Brass furrowed his brows as he took the papers from Nick's hand, looking over the results.

"Valente had 36,000 milligrams of Lithium in her system? As well as alcohol? That was quite the lethal cocktail."

"Exactly," Nick noted. "I'm starting to think there were some horrible coincidences and that maybe she indeed was attacked, but she was on her way out before her assailant ever laid a hand on her."

Brass looked back at the screen. There has to be something else he could find that would give some kind of clue as to the events that unfolded. The only other person that could offer them anything blacked out and ended up at the station with nothing but liquor and an attitude on his breath.

"I think we need to grab Archie to review this week's tapes," Brass stated, "and I think we need to go interview some patrons and employees, see if anyone saw anything unusual."

"Ready when you are," the Texan drawled. And with that, the two headed to the Bellagio.

Greg brushed a soft wave out of Tessa's face, and as he leaned in to kiss her, his hand fell absentmindedly on her shoulder. When Tessa recoiled slightly from the touch, Greg snapped back in worry. When Tessa avoided eye contact, Greg immediately became suspicious.

Tessa knew she couldn't hide this from him, not without him wondering why all of a sudden she wouldn't take off her clothes in front of him, so wordlessly she removed her shirt, the waves of her hair crashing down over her bare shoulders.

Greg brought his hand down to sweep her long tresses over her shoulder when an unfamiliar hue caught his eye. Faint tinges of bluish-yellow decorated the top of her shoulder, with a deep purple thumbprint near her collarbone. His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked from her shoulder to her face, only to find a look of shame for what another individual could do to her.

Feeling like she had been caught doing something wrong, Tessa burst into tears, quickly shielding her face with her hands. Greg continued to look at her in disbelief. It was the first time he truly understood how insidious abuse can be, and why someone like Tessa…beautiful, smart, loving…could think so negatively about herself. As he watched her crumble in front of him, he knew she had been blaming herself for everything that has transpired, and even now, torturing herself for something she didn't do. He then put his arms around her, careful to avoid the traces of violence, as he pulled her in close to hold her up as she fell down from the happenings of the day.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about him, I'm sorry that this is causing you so much distress, I didn't want to keep it from you, I just…I just didn't want you to know how bad it was. I was afraid…am afraid…that just…" Tessa choked on her words between sobs, trying to explain through the currents of her emotions.

Much calmer now to have her in the safety of his apartment, Greg exhaled as he smoothed her hair away from her face as the tears streamed down. "Tess," he said softly, "please don't apologize. For anything. You did nothing wrong. You are the victim here. You have nothing to be sorry for."

Tessa looked up at him with pleading eyes. "But…I'm the one that got myself into this situation…and now you are involved in this mess too. Because of me."

"But don't you get it?" Greg looked straight into her brown eyes. "You left. You got out of that situation. You didn't stay. That took so much. HE followed YOU. HE is the one causing all these problems, not you. And if being involved in this situation keeps you safe, I wouldn't trade my role for anything."

"Really?" Tessa asked, her eyes still betraying her panic.

"Really," Greg reassured. Feeling the apprehension radiating from her small form, he added, "I'm not going anywhere." As her shoulders relaxed, he cupped her face with one of his hands, saying, "Now please, at least tell me what happened tonight, and you can tell me about the past whenever you feel you can."

With that, Tessa inhaled slowly, steadying the balance she had lost in her mind.

"I was coming into work, looking for my badge, and I hadn't even been paying attention as I walked right into him. He must have been coming out from being interrogated. He put his hand on my shoulder, and when I tried to get away, he grabbed harder, digging his fingers into me." She brought her hand up reflexively to cradle her aching shoulder. "That's when Warrick showed up and got him to leave me alone." Greg leaned closer to look at the prints, when suddenly it dawned on him. Tessa could now be evidence.

"Stay here a minute?" Tessa nodded slowly, and with that, Greg raced out to his car and back to get his kit.

"May I?" he asked, as he took out his camera, wanting to get any kind of documentation that would help keep this guy far away. He violated his restraining order just by seeing her; leaving his handprint on her was another line crossed entirely.

Tessa just nodded, and Greg processed her, capturing the bruises, swabbing her shirt, and took down a statement. He didn't want to miss a thing in trying to keep her safe.

"This guy is going to pay. He's not going to hurt you or anyone ever again. And that I most definitely promise." Greg's featured were determined, and in the dark recesses of his mind, he tried not to think how he had already taken one man's life; he hoped with all he had that he wouldn't be put in that position again.


	11. Crossover

**Chapter 11 - Crossover**

Archie drummed his fingers on the desk as he sat and watched footage from the week at the Bellagio hotel. So far nothing really struck him as odd; the familiar Vegas nightlife of drinking, gambling, and the search for fun, excitement, and to be anyone other than as the person you arrived. He had two particular nightlife creatures he was searching for in these videos, and though many of the men resembled the dark haired, dark eyed average build of Paul Addison, not quite as many had resembled the wavy haired brunette with the svelte, tiny build of Marie Valente. It did present somewhat of a challenge, but if anyone was going to pick up on the subtle differences, it was going to be Archie.

Something caught his eye in the corner of the screen. A tiny brunette, hanging on the arm of a casino patron. He zoomed in to see the brown, glazed over eyes, lashes fluttering with drunken oblivion, her eyes absent-mindedly fixed on the cards being dealt in front of her. The way she bit her bottom lip, occasionally letting her tongue slip out to moisten them seductively, it was as if she knew that she had to look flirtatiously enthralled, but was too far away to feel it. As Archie watched her stare off into space, he could tell by her body language that she just as bored as she was drunk, and wasn't sure which was the more prominent condition.

He then studied the man she was clinging to; he definitely wasn't the man in question. Shorter stature and blonde. Could be the killer, Archie thought.

Just then Catherine Willows walked in. She was looking down at the files she held in her hand, about to ask him to review some video footage for her case, when she was stopped in her tracks.

"Archie, whose claim are you working on?"

Archie turned around, now mirroring the confused look on Catherine's face. She looked sort of suspicious, her eyes narrowed, and her jaw parted slightly. "This is the Valente case that Nick and Greg are working on. The girl he's with is the victim. Why…are you looking at the screen like that?"

Catherine put her hand on her hip, using the other hand to gesture towards the screen. "THAT is the guy from the case I've been working on." Archie's eyes widened at the implications. "Shane Holbrook. Found him dead in his hotel room at the Bellagio. I was coming down to ask you to watch some footage, but I guess you're already on it."

"So you're telling me these two cases have now crossed paths?" It never ceased to amaze Archie how intricate and tangled cases could get. It kept him on his toes in a job that felt more like crime voyeurism from the safety of the lab.

Catherine's head was reeling with what any of this could imply for either of their cases. "Call Nick, get him down here. We've got some notes to compare."

Nick and Brass were pulling up to the Bellagio hotel when his phone went off. "Stokes," he answered. "Oh hey Archie….what?...You're kidding me. Alright, I'll let Brass know." He hung up the phone and looked over at an intrigued-looking Brass.

"Our case has overlapped with Catherine's. Her DB was spotted in video footage with our victim. We gotta get back there before we do anything else." He paused and looked contemplative for a moment, as the wheels in his head started spinning into overdrive. "We need all the information Catherine has before we start doing double the work."

Brass arched his brows in curiosity. "The bodies are starting to pile up, with some of the evidence pointing to this Addison guy who conveniently can't remember jack when it comes to what he's been doing." He shook his head incredulously. "Either this guy is some kind of idiot murderer savant, or he got dealt the worst coincidental hand in Vegas history." Brass shrugged matter-of-factly. "No pun intended."

Archie continued to watch the videos after Catherine had gone off to meet up with Warrick, to fill him in on the crossing over of cases as they awaited Nick and Brass to come back to the lab.

He watched the interaction between Shane and Marie. Every time he looked over at her, she plastered a smile on her face, swaying with intoxicated enthusiasm, mimicking the excitement that he was displaying. As soon as his attention went back to the table, her expression went dead, her posture slumped. As the hours passed, he watched the buffer of her intoxication start to wane, her ability to fake interest slipping. From what little he could gather, Shane loved the Vegas nightlife while Marie was growing tiresome of the addiction.

Archie watched this behavior go on for a few nights: Marie mustering up what little enthusiasm she had left, Shane being too absorbed in poker to even notice her fading into despondency. He also noticed the bickering that would take place in between rounds, him gesturing empathically towards the table, she rolling her eyes at the gambling nonsense. It was on this particular night that he noticed Paul Addison sitting at one of the slot machines. In what seemed like a choreographed routine, Marie got fed up and walked away as Paul stood up from his seat and headed over to the black jack table. He sat right down next to Shane, with Marie now no where in sight.

The two struck up a conversation, and after trying their hands at black jack for a few rounds, the two headed off to the bar like old friends, drinking themselves into oblivion, hitting on waitresses, and partying like two bachelors on vacation. Then at one point, Shane stood up, slapped Paul on the back, a friendly gesture as well as helping to keep himself standing. The two exchanged goodbyes, and as Shane drunkenly shuffled off into the night, Paul finished his shot by himself. A few minutes later, he departs, and that's the last of these three on this night, the night before Marie Valente is found dead on the grounds of the Bellagio; the same night Shane is dies in his hotel room.

Marie wanders into the casino alone looking disheveled and unfocused the following evening. She heads for the bar, sits down and orders a drink. Archie fast forwards the tape of her sitting alone and drinking, knowing Shane won't be making another appearance this evening; he knows this because Shane Holbrook ended up another lonely corpse awaiting discovery back in his hotel room. This is the night when Paul Addison stumbles in, visibly confused by the girl sitting at the bar. Sitting with her back facing him, the torrent of chocolate waves is all he can see.

She moves to get up, at this point clearly feeling the effect of the drinks she's been imbibing for the past few hours, and that's when Paul Addison moves from his spot, slowly stalking her so as not to alarm her if she senses his presence looming closer. With the amount of alcohol Archie can only assume is coursing through their veins, it's amazing they were even able to interact and cross paths.

As Marie Valente reaches into her bag to pull out a bottle of pills, she is abruptly spun around by a stranger on a mission. Words are exchanged, the look of anger etched into both of their features. Once she turns and leaves, Paul Addison follows her, but from that point on, there is no way to tell what happened in the time that she leaves the spotlight of the camera and ends up lifeless under the Vegas moonlight.

It is then that Archie starts watching the video footage from the elevators that night. In one frame, he watches the victim enter the elevator, her hands gingerly touching the curve of her neck.

From the information he had heard about the case, he surmised to himself, out loud alone to the screen, "Domestic dispute gone horribly wrong."

Greg's kit lay on the floor, everything he collected ready to be taken to the lab once he felt it was okay to leave. With most of the information from her past finally out in the open, Tessa felt freer than she had in years. Knowing that someone not only accepted what she had been through, but loved her despite the violence and torment of her past, she couldn't help but feel that moving to Vegas was sweetly serendipitous. And even though the storm of her life raged on outside these walls, in Greg's arm, she felt safe.

"Thank you." Those were the first words she had spoken since she and Greg had separated their union of desire and love and urgency, laying in his arms listening to her own heart beat thunderously in her chest from the passionate release of the stressful day.

He kissed the top of her head and pulled her in a little closer. He was growing accustomed to her gratitude towards things he felt were second nature when you cared for someone, but he accepted it would take some time for her to realize this nonetheless. "What for?" he asked warmly.

"For going completely above and beyond to make sure that I am safe."

"Hey, anything to keep my raven haired maiden safe." He planted another kiss on her head as she nuzzled into the warmth of his neck. "Greg Sanders, professional rescuer of damsels in distress." He could feel Tessa shake her head at him in the crook of his neck, and he squeezed her as she let out a soft giggle.

He smiled at the thought of what he had done up until this point to make sure she stayed out of harm's way. The darkness of Greg's thoughts had dissipated from earlier; he wasn't the vengeful type, and although he cared for her intensely, he wouldn't entertain the idea of doing anything violent. Once the cloud of rage settled, his optimism returned, and he figured that once again he would have faith that the bad guys would get justice. That was one thing of which he would make sure. "Relax, m'lady, we got this all under control."

Tessa's smile faded as she buried herself the warmth of Greg's skin; the look of apprehension could not be seen slowly seeping into her features. She let out a small sigh before saying, "I really hope so." She knew damsel in distress wasn't exactly what she was, nor did she think this was near being under control, but the smile on Greg's face was all she needed to keep the last of her secrets buried in the back of her mind.


	12. Twist

AN: A sort of filler chapter to move the case forward. This story has taken on a life I wasn't expecting it to. Hope you enjoy it, and thanks to all those who have been reading it and adding it as your favorite thus far.

**Chapter 12 – Twist**

With Paul Addison behind bars once again for the time being, Tessa returned to work. She and Greg arrived for their shift together, and while Greg was apprehensive to leave her alone, he knew that she was just as safe at work as she would be anywhere else, and with her ex in jail, he could breathe a lot easier.

Besides, he had a murder case to solve.

He reconvened with Nick to work on the Valente case, surprised to find out all the new information that had been discovered in his one day off.

"So she murdered someone before committing suicide?"

Nick nodded a slow agreement. "This is where the evidence is leading us. She downed all her medication after drinking at the hotel all night."

"Jesus." Greg shook his head, and felt a strange sense of relief knowing that Tessa's clone had not been murdered but died of her own volition. "What about this guy, Shane Holbrook?"

"Well, based on what we have been able to piece together so far, they met here at the hotel. Shane had checked himself in on day one, while Marie lived somewhere on the outskirts of town. Not sure yet how the two met, but we know that he suffered blunt force trauma to the head, and that was the cause of death. We've got a little more investigating to do down at the Bellagio, but we had wanted to get our paths straightened out before we did any more work. You up for a trip?"

Eager to wrap up the case that had been haunting him for the past couple of weeks, Greg replied, "Let's do this."

As the two headed out, they were stopped by a nervous looking redhead clutching her bag to her chest, looking around cautiously as if caught in a haunted house and not a crime lab. Greg and Nick looked at each other questioningly, Greg shrugging his shoulders, and Nick raising his eyebrows skeptically. She looked completely out of her element, and contrasted the dark lab with spiky red locks and brightly colored clothes. When she saw the two men, she paused like a deer in headlights.

"Can I help you?" Nick asked. Big green eyes widened at his question, and for a moment she looked awestruck to be talking to the two criminalists.

"Yeah, I'm looking to talk to someone about my friend…she was…she died. I think I might be able to, you know, help you out." The redhead lowered her voice as if letting them in on a secret, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, as her eyes moved apprehensively between Nick and Greg.

"Who is your friend?" Greg asked, noting that this girl was probably around his age. He also noted the timid smile she was then shooting his way. The attention made Greg smile back.

"Marie Valente." With that admission, both Nick and Greg's expressions registered a level of excitement that comes with cracking an important part of the case. "She was my roommate."

"Sure, sure," Nick coaxed, "right this way, I'm sorry, what is your name, ma'am?" he asked in his signature twang.

"Julia. Julia Strickland." She extended her hand politely to Nick.

Nick shook her hand, introducing her to himself and Greg, and escorted her to a room where they could talk.

"First, I have to tell you. Everything with Marie? I hate to sound like, cold, but this isn't the first time she has tried something like this." Her eyes suddenly revealed a hint of sadness, and it was clear that this was almost a kind of relief for her.

"Well, why don't you just explain what you think happened?" Nick encouraged.

With that, Julie sighed and began speaking. "Everyone who knew Marie knew that this was something that was probably going to happen sooner or later. Marie was extremely bipolar. On her medication, she was fine, I mean, she was a little aggressive at times, and other times she withdrew from people, but for the most part, she had been pretty balanced. But things were starting to get kind of weird with her, and she was acting out, and not taking her medication, and she just wasn't herself. We actually had come out a few weeks ago, a whole bunch of us…one of our friends just got engaged…so while we are out one night, she meets some guy."

"Would that guy be Shane Holbrook?" Greg asked.

"Yeah, that sounds familiar," the redhead nodded thoughtfully. "So, she goes off and does her own thing with this guy, and we're all upset with her, but I mean, what can you do? But then she started coming back alone to meet up with this guy, and I notice she has a full bottle of medication still in that paper pharmacy bag she hasn't touched in like, two days, and so I ask her about it, and she gets all defensive, and we get into this argument and she takes off, saying something how this Shane guy is like, the only guy who understands her." At this point in the conversation, Julia stares at the table, clearly upset by her friend's actions. "She spent like, the whole time I saw them hanging all over him while he just played poker, so I don't know really, what the big appeal was."

Greg and Nick start to wonder if she's jealous of her friend's new lover when she continues. "She said it was just a fling, that he was only here for like, a few weeks or so, and I have to say, from the sounds of it, he sounded just as unstable as she has been, just drinking and gambling and doing drugs and stuff. She texts me…I guess it had to be the night before she died…telling me they got into this huge fight, and it got violent, she hit him, he pushed her, she pushed back, I don't know, real bad stuff. I guess she pushed him into the coffee table? I know she said he knocked himself out and she took off. The whole thing was crazy."

Nick and Greg look at each other. They aren't sure she knows the fate of Mr. Holbrook, so they let her continue with her story.

"So then that next night, she's out somewhere, and she calls me, and I offer to get her, but she's like, really out of it and being very vague, so I'm not even sure where she is. She calls me again…and I feel horrible for this…I let it go to voicemail….and in this message she's telling me not to worry about it, mentions some other guy, and she's got this thing she's been planning, I don't know, it didn't make much sense to me until I got the call that she was dead." As she says the words, she chokes on an unexpected sob, and starts to cry. "I had tried to call her back but she never answered. I probably could have stopped her, but I knew. I just knew that she had finally decided to go though with it. And I didn't know what to do."

Greg offers her a tissue, his brows furrowed in concern. "Did she tell you who the other guy was?"

Julia stops crying for a moment to continue talking; her voice is shaky but she is determined to talk. "No, all I know is that he ran into her, like literally, and he followed her out and she was upset because he really rude, grabbed her or something, I don't know. I never really got the full story. She was kind of hard to understand, probably because she had taken all those pills." Julia gets upset again, and Nick looks at Greg, also feeling badly at even more bad news he has to deliver to this unsuspecting young woman.

"Honey, I hate to tell you this, but that guy? Shane? That head injury that he sustained, it killed him."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

Greg pulled out his picture from the file he had been carrying and placed it in front of her. She looked down at the headshot in the photograph and gasped. "Oh my God, that's him, that's the guy she was with."

"We know. Our other CSIs found him dead in his hotel room, and when he hit his head, he passed out, and he died."

Slowly the wheels start to turn in Julia's head. "Are you saying she killed him?"

Nick sighs heavily. "At this point, we can't be sure, since we can't get her side of the story. It may have been in self-defense, it may have been an over exaggerated reaction since she was off her medication, it could very well have been on purpose, maybe even by accident. We have no idea." He looks at her sympathetically, and tries to soften the pain she's obviously feeling. "What we do know is that he died from a head trauma, and she died of an overdose. Whatever happened in between doesn't really matter since there is no definite suspect or victim, and no one else was really involved."

Nick gets caught up in thought for a moment, then pulls out the picture of Paul Addison and places it in front of her. "Does this guy look familiar to you?"

Julia peers down at the picture, a puzzled look on her face and she studies it. She looks back up at them, her lips a thin line. "No, I'm sorry, I don't."

"That's okay," Nick says gently, and puts the picture away.

She continues to look at them with sorrowful green eyes. Greg offers some final words of consolation. "Your statement has helped tremendously. I know it doesn't seem it, but what you've told us has helped close a lot of gaps in this case."

"Really?" For the first time in the conversation, she looked hopeful.

"Yeah," Greg said gently. "The only thing is…do you still have the texts or the voicemails she sent you?"

"Oh yeah, I sure do." She reached into her bag and pulled out her cell phone. "Here, you can take whatever messages you need if it will help."

Greg takes the phone as evidence, adding, "We'll just take the messages and voicemails and we'll get back in touch with you when we can return it to you." Before they are done, as they are both thanking her for her time and her cooperation, Nick puts a hand on the redhead's shoulder.

"I know I'm not a shrink or anything, but from my experience, if someone is on that path, they are going to do it, and you wouldn't have been able to stop her. You did the best you could. Try not to beat yourself up about it." His eyes shone with compassion, and Julia smiled.

"Thanks. I needed to hear that." She shook his hand again, adding "Good luck with your investigation."

In the break room a little while later, Nick and Greg talk about the cute redhead that showed up out of no where to pretty much seal the case.

"Man, it's like cute girls are just falling out of the sky lately," Nick joked as he gave a knowing smile to Greg. "And hey, I saw the way she was looking at you. You are a hot commodity right now, Greggo."

Before Greg could respond, their pagers were going off.

"Hey, it looks like they were able to process the DNA on the victim's hair," Greg said as he looked up from his pager, conveniently bypassing Nick's keen observation.

"Alright bro, let's go check it out, and hopefully we can close up this case real soon."

"Man," Greg sighed. "not soon enough."


	13. Misinterpretation

**Chapter 13 - Misinterpretation**

"Alright, what have you got for us, Wendy?" Nick and Greg walked up to the DNA tech who was handling the evidence for Tessa on this particular claim. Wendy looked at them with slight apprehension as she turned to look at the younger DNA tech across the lab, her head snapping up with curiosity when she heard the Texan speak. Tessa gave a shy smile and a slight wave to the gentlemen in the room, and went back to what she was doing. Wendy cleared her throat as she looked down at the file she held in her hands.

"Could we…just…let's step outside for a minute, okay?" Neither Greg nor Nick liked the worried tone fringing Wendy's words. Greg looked nervously over at Tessa, but she was absorbed in whatever she was doing, and he wouldn't want her to think he was worried anyways. He spent too much of his time worrying about her, and he would just rather be able to relax.

Out in the hall, they were expecting to hear the worst. Wendy looked at the both of them, her brown eyes conveying an emotion neither of them could decipher.

"The DNA came back as an unknown female."

Inwardly Greg sighed with a mixture of disappointment and relief. All this time he thought Tessa's ex was on some kind of murdering rampage. But it wasn't even a male who laid hands on the victim. He looked over at Nick, who furrowed his brows as he looked at his younger colleague. "So now what?" the Texan asked.

"Someone obviously attacked her. And given that the pressure hadn't been enough to kill her, it kind of makes sense. Whoever did this wasn't strong enough…and I hate to sound so…stereotypical…but a female attacker makes sense." She shrugged her shoulders at what the evidence was suggesting, whether she liked it or not.

Nick's thoughts immediately went to the nervous redhead who handed over her cell phone not too long ago. Maybe they had missed something. This case was taking them on a roller coaster of unexpected twists and turns, and armed with this new information, he wasn't quite sure what made sense anymore. Nick shook his head to clear his thoughts so that he could focus.

"Thanks Wendy," Nick said, and the brunette merely nodded as she spun on her heels and headed back into the lab. He turned to Greg, who looked just as mystified as he did.

"Just when you think everything is going to end all neat and tidy…" He trailed off when he saw the determined look on the Texan's face. "What?" he asked curiously.

"I've got a few theories kicking around about this." Greg tilted his head slightly and waited for Nick to continue. "But first we gotta get whatever is on this phone."

"Let's go find Archie." Greg knocked his fists together in front of him as he bounced on his heels. Nick nodded, and they went off to find their resident technology geek.

In their haste to make sense of things, Greg wandered off without looking back through the window to say goodbye. Tessa tried to brush off the pang in her stomach. They were at work, after all. She just hated that gnawing in her stomach when something small like that happened, and silently wished she was better at this. With a deep breath, she put the thought from her mind and focused on her work.

Wendy noticed the look on the younger tech's face. She didn't want to pry, but it was her nature to be curious and try to help. She looked at her for a moment and when Tessa felt the burning of her gaze, she looked up.

"I…just…are you okay?" The older brunette smiled awkwardly at being caught in thought and staring.

"Yeah," Tessa sighed, glad that someone had noticed and she didn't have to volunteer it herself. "I just…worry."

Wendy tilted her head and her eyes crinkled in concern. "What are you worried about?"

"Greg. You know, whether or not he's…uh…really interested." Tessa's cheeks flushed with how silly that seemed to sound out loud, but how painfully it resonated in her head.

"Oh hun." The words came out on a pout as Wendy's eyes shone with empathy. "I've seen Greg around this lab for a long time now, and I haven't seen him this happy in too long now." She walked up and gave Tessa a reassuring rub on the shoulder. "He cares so much about you. I see it every time he looks at you."

Tessa blushed again as a small smile tugged at her lips. She looked up at Wendy, her eyes glistening in appreciation. "Thanks, Wendy." Sighing, those words of reassurance were all she needed to be able to get back to work as the butterflies from earlier slowly ebbed.

"So, whatever story you heard from Julia seems to be adding up." Archie pointed to the screen to show the texts that came from the redhead's phone. "But you may want to contact this chick here." He tapped on the screen indicating the text conversation involving an Angela Patterson.

_Just let it go for now, okay?_

_Whatever. Marie knew I had my eye on him. This is just what she does. _

_I know... _

_She'll get what she deserves someday._

Nick worked his jaw in concentration as Greg's eyes widened at the implications. Nick thought he had an idea of who the unknown female might be. But just as one theory seemed to work out, something else threw a curveball and sent them in an entirely different direction. They looked at each other to figure out what to do.

"I'll go get Brass, and we'll go find Ms. Patterson, and you go get the phone back to Julia, and ask her about this girl, see what happened."

Greg simply nodded as he took the phone back from Nick.

"Thanks for all your help," Greg smiled as he handed Julia back her phone. "And thanks for coming back so quickly." Julia smiled as she took the phone from Greg's hand, her fingers brushing up against his. They locked eyes for a moment, and although he expected some weariness to the trauma she was experiencing, her eyes held more than a glimmer of intrigue. In fact, the way she allowed her tongue to run over her lips, he raised his brow at her subtle flirtatious demeanor.

"I'm glad I was able to help." Her cheeks flushed as she looked up at Greg. She held her phone down in front of her with two hands as she twisted one of her legs in a coyly innocent manner.

Greg cleared his throat as he realized he was unintentionally flirting with someone he was supposed to be interrogating. "Uh…would you mind, if um, I asked you a few more questions?"

Julia's eyes widened slightly as her posture straightened almost immediately. "Oh yeah, sure, whatever you need."

He put his hand on her shoulder to lead her back to the room they had spoken in before.

From the lab, Tessa watched the way Greg responded to her unsolicited touch. Feeling that nagging feeling for the second time today, she was determined to just play it cool. _No reason to panic, _she thought to herself…

"You think Angela…oh my God…" The younger woman looked somewhat incredulous as she heard what Greg was trying to theorize.

"Look, I'm not saying she killed her…we know that she overdosed…but maybe she got into some kind of fight with her."

Julia looked thoughtful for a minute. "I mean, I guess it's possible. I know she went to talk to her one night. I just…I don't know, I didn't want to get involved with what was going on." She looked straight into the captivating brown eyes in front of her. "I'd rather not compete with someone for another man's affection."

Greg shifted uncomfortably under her smoldering gaze. True, this woman before him was very mesmerizing, but the way she was looking at him now aroused doubts and suspicions. Definitely not the reaction this scarlet siren was looking to provoke.

"Look, I'd like to be able to rule you out as a suspect…" Greg knew he was misleading her, but he had to make it look like he believed the story she had been weaving. "Would you mind if I took a sample of your DNA?"

An anxious look washed over her features, but just as quickly she replaced it with an innocent smile as she fluttered her lashes, "Do you realty think that's necessary?"

Greg smiled back as he shrugged just as innocently as he reached for a swab. "If you've stayed uninvolved, then you should have nothing to worry about."

Biting her lip, the redhead's eyes betrayed a worry that Greg caught immediately. Faking a smile, she then opened her mouth tentatively to offer him access to the inside of her cheek.

Snapping the cover shut, he stood with his arm extended to escort her out. As he led her out into the hallway, he decided to work a little bit at keeping her intrigued, if nothing else, to gain her trust.

"I just want to thank you again for all your help." Greg smiled at her, underneath it feeling an instinctive confidence that she was the one to grapple with her deceased roommate. He wanted to keep her placated in the event this case took yet another turn, and he didn't want her running.

Julia retained her shy girl façade back out in the open of the hallways, but with a brashness Greg wasn't expecting, she was on her toes laying a soft kiss on his cheek. "A little extra _DNA_ for you…" she emphasized as she whispered in his ear. Greg flushed instantly, and his features registered the shock of her brazen remark before he could hide it. She backed away from him, keeping her green eyes locked with his, and with a sultry smirk, she spun on her heels and walked away. Greg could only stand agape wide-eyed in a bewildered trance as he watched her leave. A bemused smile crept over him as he shook his head in disbelief at how far someone will go to maintain their innocence. With that, he headed back down the hall, eager to talk to Nick and what had just transpired.

_Strike three, _Tessa thought to herself as she watched Greg's flushed expression from behind the glass. With that nervous pang threatening to double her over, she was prepared to be long gone by the time Greg came to find her at the end of their shift.


	14. Trust Me

**AN: Thanks to all those who have added my story as a favorite. You give me the motivation to update faster :)**

* * *

**Chapter 14 – Trust Me**

"Really," Nick drawled as Greg explained the end of the interrogation with the saucy redhead.

Greg nodded, a bemused smile dancing on his features, as he typed a text message to Tessa to let her know he would be down to see her shortly.

As Greg typed, Nick started to relay the story of Angela Patterson. "She seemed to have a somewhat shaky alibi, but we will have to wait on the DNA at this point to see who might be the lucky winner of attempted assault."

"My money's on Ms. Strickland, but hey, shaky alibis aren't promising either." Greg looked down at his phone, curious that he hadn't gotten a response but tried to shrug it off in the moment. He noted the time and looked back up at Nick. "But for now, we are outta here."

"Alright bro, we shall wrap up this case tomorrow." The two exchanged a high five before Greg shuffled out of the room to head towards the lab. He furrowed his brows in confusion as he approached the lab with Tessa no where to be found.

He checked the break room and the locker room. She wasn't there either. He started to get unnerved, but knew that anyone who wanted to hurt her was behind bars for the time being. Now it was just a matter of finding where she disappeared to.

Dialing her number, he reached her voicemail after a couple of rings, signifying to him that the call had been rejected. Rejected? First, his unanswered text, then her disappearance and now a rejected phone call? This wasn't like her. He needed to see her now, as the nervousness was flooding him to the core.

Making it to his car, he practically flew all the way to her apartment. When he pulled up to see her car parked out front, he inwardly sighed with relief. But the relief was replaced by apprehension when he realized that this didn't explain her ignoring his text, not waiting for him after shift, or the more bewildering rejection of his phone call.

Greg decided to keep his gun close until he knew that she was okay. Law enforcement had conditioned him to expect the worst at any moment. Almost getting killed made him realize you can never be too prepared. Walking up to her apartment, he braced himself as he knocked on the door.

Inside, Tessa had been huddled up on the couch, staring off into space, trying not to get too consumed in the pessimism she was feeling over that girl who assaulted Greg's face. She had raced home to avoid meeting him at the lab or in the parking lot, her mind working overtime with all kinds of possible explanations and fears and insecurities.

She saw the way the redhead looked at him, the way she held herself, how she leaned in and played coy and fluttered her lashes. She also saw the way Greg did very little to fend off the flirtatious advances, acting almost as if he welcomed the attention.

_I'm not going to get involved with another guy who thinks he can play the field whenever he wants._

Though Greg hadn't really shown any other characteristics of the abusers and cheaters she was used to, she thought it best to start learning the signs before it was too late. It seemed perfectly logical to question, and be upset with, his errant behavior.

Because, she didn't just try to flirt with him, she kissed him. Granted, it was just a kiss on the cheek, but who knows where that would lead. And what if he liked it? But he did text her. And call her. But so did _he_, and so did the others, and she never suspected it at first and she'd be damned if she let this pattern continue just because of some new guy who…

A knock on the door brought her out of her sullen trance.

When she spied a nervous looking Greg on the threshold, her insides dissolved as panic shot through her veins like rampant electricity. She stood frozen for a moment until she could hear his voice pleading outside.

"Tessa, please, if you are in there, please open the door…"

Her hand poised on the knob, she wasn't sure how she was going to react once she granted him access. She wanted to continue to be furious, but the nagging that maybe she was wrong was churning in her stomach.

_I always second guess myself. Always…_

"I don't want to see you," came her trembling voice from behind the closed door. She felt the need to stand by her behaviors, the words tumbling from her mouth in an effort to seem confident. It seemed the better option than coming face to face with him where she knew she would just end up caving.

Knowing that at least she was okay had allowed Greg to relax slightly. All he needed to do now was figure out why she was suddenly refusing to see him. He leaned on the doorframe to speak closer through the wooden barrier.

"Honey, I can't fix this if I can't talk to you." In a softer tone that she almost didn't hear, he added, "I'm worried about you."

With that, the door opened slowly, and Tessa stood halfway behind it cautiously using it as a shield as she tried to avoid looking up at him.

Greg noticed at once her red-rimmed eyes and her hunched up posture as she clung to the open door. He craned his neck down as an indication he wanted to look her in the eye, but she shifted her gaze to the side, looking as though she were the one in trouble.

"What's going on," he asked gently. That was all it took for the dam to burst as the tears blurred her vision.

"Hey, hey, come here," Greg made his way into her apartment and shut the door behind him, reaching for Tessa and pulling her into his arms as the tears consumed her. He held her tiny frame as she shook with emotion, still completely mystified as to what was going on.

"I…I saw you…talking…to that…girl…" she started, her words coming out ragged as she stammered to explain why she was so distraught. "And then…when she kissed you, I just…"

Suddenly Greg flashed back to the scene from earlier, when Julia had tried to use her feminine wiles to charm him into buying her innocence. He didn't think much of it in the moment because it didn't really have much of an effect other than the element of surprise, but looking at it from her perspective, he understood the button it pushed.

He stood back a moment to look at her, placing a finger under her chin and bringing her eyes up to meet his. Reluctantly she looked at him, but her eyes glistened with an eagerness to hear an explanation that would erase the doubt and suspicion she was feeling.

What he saw in her eyes caused his breath to hitch; love and fear, both equally intense, both heartbreakingly evident in her huge brown eyes. But he cut right to the heart of what she was feeling; there was no need at this point to dance around the subject.

"You don't fully trust how I feel about you, do you." It wasn't a question; the look in her eyes told him it was fact.

With a heavy sigh, Tessa wiped the tears from her cheeks, suddenly angry that she had broken down over very little evidence that anything was truly amiss. "I want to, just…damn it…I wish I could handle this better, I really do."

"Honey, it's okay, but just…talk to me, I know, it's going to take some time, but I'll do whatever I have to until you can trust me that I am not going anywhere." Greg brushed the rest of the stray tears with his thumb, bringing up his other hand to cup her face tenderly. He looked deep in her eyes to try to explain what she had witnessed earlier.

"She was flirting with me, I won't deny that, because obviously you saw her." As Tessa bit her lit and averted her eyes, Greg gently nudged her cheek to bring her gaze back to his. "But that's all it was, her flirting with me. And it wasn't even the sincere kind. I think she just wanted me to believe her." He offered her a lopsided smile, and she only looked somewhat convince.

"Tess, look, I know that in the past you've been burned by this type of thing, but I'll be honest with you. No matter who I come across, no matter who I meet, or what girl I think is attractive, or how she acts towards me, none of that matters. YOU are the one I want to come home to. YOU are the one I want to see smiling at me at the end of the day. And you," he said softly as he leaned in to place a feather light kiss on her lips, "are the only one I want to share myself with."

When the clouds of fear dissipated in her eyes, all that shone back at him was pure adoration. Standing on her toes, she kissed him with all the passion she felt for him. Running his hands through her waves, he pulled her close as he kissed her with equal intensity. She broke the union only for a moment, looking him in the eyes as she spoke softly, "Thank you for being so unbelievable. I love you, so much."

Framing her face with his hands, Greg echoed back, "And I love you, Tess, just as much."

XXXXXX

Across town, the check was handed over to bail out Paul Addison. He gathered his things and made his way to the parking lot, jumping in the car and looking to the accomplice next to him.

"That didn't take as long as I thought it would," he said in the most gracious tone he could muster after being confined.

"What can I say? I'm good with reading my opponents."

"I owe you big time," he said as he put a cigarette to his mouth and sparked up a lighter. He held out the pack, as slender fingers reached in to grab one. As the cigarette hung waiting, Paul brought the flame up and watched as puffs of smoke were exhaled through glossy lips.

"Well, if I can get that delicious CSI…" After a long drag, the woman smirked. "You can get that whiney brat all to yourself again."

Paul held the cigarette between his fingers for a moment, letting the nicotine swirl around his lungs before slowly releasing it. "I don't want her back."

"Fine, then we will just break up that sickeningly sweet little union, and you do whatever you want."

As his mind felt the temporary high from the chemicals, he grinned. "I will. Trust me."


	15. Mirrored Souls

**Thank you to those who have been following this story. This chapter is just focused on the two, no other drama at the moment. Enjoy :)**

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Chapter 15 – Mirrored Souls

Her eyes closed as she felt his hands, so warm on her tear stained cheeks. His sentiments of love caused a few stray tears to fall, slipping through Greg's fingers. He leaned forward to kiss her softly, laying his lips tenderly on her, the contact so simple and pure that her breath caught on a sob and Greg snapped back worriedly.

A different look now washed over her, and it was obvious to Greg that a new wave of emotions had struck her.

The sadness he saw flooding her delicate features made his heart skip a panicked beat.

The soft kiss, combined with all the worry and anguish she allowed into her consciousness, was her undoing.

One tear turned into many as everything she had been bottling up spilled forth. Years of pain were unleashed with someone finally caring enough to be there to console her.

Her entire being from the inside out was seized with gut-wrenching sobs. From her eyes poured years of buried anguish that only took the slightest touch to produce. The surge hit so hard and so fast that the room began to spin and she clutched herself harder to keep from going under in the current still rising within her. Like a paper doll caught up in a sudden breeze, she collapsed under the weight of this long carried burden. She wanted to turn away, to shield him from her grief overflowing, but instead she sank to the ground and wrapped her arms around her legs in a protective self-embrace to try to shelter herself from the onslaught. In that moment, she wished for two separate outcomes to her unwelcome vulnerability: for him to either flee, or save her.

Between her sobs she heard her voice come from somewhere at the back of her head like static. "I don't deserve you…" The thought that she actually felt this way threw her deeper into her despair.

These words hit Greg's ears, causing him to wince, as he pulled her crumpled form into his arms. The thought that she could feel this way propelled him to her without a second's hesitation.

"Tess, why?" He cradled the back of her head as he rocked her slowly to calm her. "Why would you think that?"

Sucking in a much needed breath, Tessa's words erupted from a dark chasm of fear.

"I feel like I'm drowning," she sobbed. "I'm a mess, Greg. You shouldn't have to be caught up in this mess. The restraining order, my past, everything. All my relationships have been dysfunctional, and it's wreaking havoc on my life. I have no idea how to just relax and really enjoy all the attention you give me, and I feel like at some point I'm just going to destroy this and you'll end up leaving. You've been so amazing to me, and I'm just so scared I'll do something and you'll go away, and my life will go back to what I knew. This relationship scares me so much sometimes. I'm so afraid to lose you."

She clung on to his shirt as if letting go would cause her to fade away. Or worse, that he might leave.

"I mean, I don't even know if I'm safe. And what if something happens to you, because of me, I just couldn't live with that."

"Tessa, nothing is going to happen to you. Nothing." With that, Greg held on to her a little bit tighter. But Tessa continued to unravel.

"I feel like you are the ONLY one who has ever been so kind to me, and I'm waiting, I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop and I'll go right back to what I've known before. I've felt alone for so long. I don't want to be alone anymore." The power of her words caused her to cry even harder. They were the silent words that had never taken a spoken flight.

In that moment, Greg could not let go even if he wanted to. He felt both of their lives depended on her finding shelter in his fierce embrace. The honesty of the moment caused tears to burn beneath his closed lids. He, too, had felt the ache of wanting to find someone, of not wanting to experience life alone any longer.

"I promise you, you are not alone anymore. And I need you here with me as much as you need me to be with you." With his lips pressed firmly to the top of her head, he continued to rock her gently back to safety.

"Really?" She fought to find her voice amid all the tears and worry, emitting a soft, hopeful squeak.

"Really," Greg reassured her, hugging her even closer at the childlike lilt to her plea.

"I want to believe you, my God, I do, I'm just having such a hard time with it. It's so hard. I just want to be the good person you think I am…"

With that, Greg stopped her, pulling her from his embrace to look at her, really look at her, and she locked eyes with him. For a moment, nothing else existed to either of them but the brown depths they both were drowning in, adoration mirrored from the deepest parts of their souls.

"You ARE a good person, a wonderful person in fact, and I have the same concerns, for you." When she furrowed her brows in confusion, he continued. "The way you look at me sometimes, it's like you want to think I'm this perfect guy while you are the one who has all these things wrong with you. Honey, I fear the same things you do. I've had my share of issues too, and I think sometimes _you_ deserve better. I know I'm not perfect, and I'm gonna screw up, and honey, you are too. But you are the most amazing woman I've ever met, and this works, and I said it to you before, I will spend the rest of my life making sure you know that you are safe. We aren't perfect, but I'm pretty damn sure we are perfect for each other."

Tessa continued to stare into his eyes, the feelings of love so intense she was dizzy. The light that shone in her tear-filled eyes gave the illusion of stars, a slightly magical glow to the passion she already felt in her gazes when she looked upon him.

"We are going to get through this, and we will get through anything else. As long as we have each other, we can take on anything." For the first time in a very long time, Greg believed the words that he was using to comfort his heart's desire.

The calm that washed over her was replaced by the urgency to bring his lips back hers, as he had tried only moments before the walls inside her came crashing down. Sensing the change in her demeanor, Greg pulled her face towards him in a kiss that was so passionate, the small tear that escaped him mingled with her still tear-soaked skin. His search for someone to care for had far exceeded any of his expectations, and he found himself immersed in the feelings of eternity, here, with this woman who was giving him her fragile heart, despite all the pain and torment she had suffered at the hands of others, despite all the pain and loneliness he had endured himself.

Eternity.

It was something he had never felt emanating from the soul of another person, drawing him in, and as the thought entered his mind, Tessa was pleading in a raspy whisper, "Please, don't ever leave me…"

"Never," Greg said in a breathless sigh, his need to feel her, every inch of her, now demanding all his thoughts.

The fabric between them remained the only obstacle with which they had to overcome.

When there was nothing left between them, Greg trailed his fingertips softly, relishing the silky softness of her porcelain skin, to claim every area of her bare flesh as his own. Sighing wistfully, her head arched to one side, allowing access to the curve of her neck, lips caressing, feeling the warmth of his breath, as one hand grazed down her arm with feather light touches. As he moved further down, her fingers raked the waves at the nape of his neck before slowly moving down to his shoulders bracing herself to control the trembling of her anticipation, which was now heightened from the emotional release that was long overdue. Her senses in overdrive, every touch caused shivers of ecstasy to cascade down her spine.

Feeling he had worshipped every part of her sufficiently, he brought himself up vehemently, his lips crashing into her in a mind-shattering kiss that rocked the foundation of their conscious minds into spinning with intoxication that a lack of oxygen can bring.

Breathless and sweet quickly led to hungry and wanting as Greg positioned himself over Tessa's welcoming form. Capturing her mouth in a searing kiss, his tongue entwined with hers as she grabbed his hips to quicken his entry, spreading warmth and electricity through both of their bodies.

For a few moments, each of them coasted on their primal need to feel the other as deep and rough as their bodies would allow. Tessa closed her eyes, digging the tips of her fingers into the soft flesh of his shoulders, while Greg nuzzled into the silky curve of her neck. As he came back up to feel her lush lips on his, her eyes flutter open from the sudden movement. Breaking the kiss for a moment, he paused to look at her.

There, inside her, holding her gaze intently, something powerful started to stir, as his chest tightened with emotion. She experienced the same feeling as she took in a shaky breath, overpowered by what she saw.

It was raw. It was unguarded. It was pure emotion with nothing to hide.

"I love you…so much."

"I love you, Greg, so…so much."

The words continued to fall from their lips, words of love, words of forever, in between tender kisses, never breaking eye contact.

Their unbridled passion turned to slow, languid, movements, relishing the feel of skin on skin, and how deeply they were getting lost in each other's adoring gazes. The sensations built in a slow burn, until they climaxed together, they bodies melting as one.

Neither one had truly understood what it meant to make love until this one passionate moment.

As Greg rolled to nestle alongside her, cradling her in his arms while their eyes remained fixated on each other, he could no longer contain the words he had thought from the moment he met her.

"Marry me."


End file.
